Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Mild Traumatic Brain Injury(Mild TBI), and Post Concussi

Brain Injury: A Topic Everyone Should Know About

Brain injury is a topic that is greatly misunderstood and surrounded by many misconceptions. These misconceptions lead many to go on suffering with a brain injury they don't know they have. Whether you know it or not, there is a very good chance you or someone you know suffers from a brain injury.

Understanding brain injury is very important because of how common and widespread it is. Every 13 seconds, someone somewhere in the United States suffers from a brain injury. It is currently estimated that 15% of the population suffers from a brain injury. While that might not seem like a lot, it comes out to 30 people if you have 200 friends on Facebook. In a college lecture hall of 400 students, that is 60 people. To put it into a different context, 15% of the population comes out to about 1 out of every 7 Americans. That means every 7th person you pass on the street is potentially someone with a brain injury. As you can see, this number adds up very quickly. The scariest part is that most of these people often don't know they have a brain injury.

What Is A Brain Injury?

Brain injuries are medically known as Traumatic Brain Injury, or simply TBI. The name itself is perhaps what contributes the most to the confusion surrounding TBI. The term usually conjures up images of a brain hemorrhage from a horrible car accident or devastating brain damage resulting from a stroke. While these certainly are TBIs, they are on the severe end of the spectrum and only comprise a part of brain injuries as a whole.

Simply put, a TBI is a change in the way the brain functions following trauma. This can be with or without apparent damage to the structure of the brain. A large part of TBIs actually occur with very little to no physical damage to the brain. Standard tests such as MRIs show a brain that is normally structurally, even though the way the brain functions may have been altered. Special testing is available for diagnosing less apparent brain injuries, though they aren’t commonly used.

These types of brain injuries are further categorized as Post Concussion Syndrome or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, which fuels the misconceptions even more. There is nothing mild about a Mild TBI. The symptoms and issues plaguing people with Mild TBI can often be severe and debilitating.

Another common misconception surrounding TBI is the amount of trauma or force to the head required to sustain a brain injury. It actually doesn’t take much force to suffer a brain injury. Seemingly minor impacts from accidents, sports injuries, falls, and even banging your head can be all that’s needed. More important than the amount of force is whether any changes are felt after such an impact. Feeling confused or dazed following an impact to the head (with or without loss of consciousness) is a concussion and the possibility of a brain injury.

For most people, the confusion and any other symptoms will generally subside. However, If there is a persistence or worsening of these symptoms, getting evaluated for a potential brain injury is essential.

Why Is Brain Injury Frequently Undiagnosed?

Less severe or “milder” brain Injuries are frequently missed by healthcare professionals simply because they are still relatively new in the medical community. Most doctors are currently trained only to identify more significant brain injuries such as bleeding of the brain. Standard tests look for damage in the structures of the brain, which as mentioned, is not a required condition for a brain injury.

More advanced and precise tests are available to diagnose TBI, so it is important to find the proper specialist who is familiar with these tests. Cognitive tests which are generally performed by neuropsychologists are also an invaluable tool, and are often key in the diagnosis of TBI.

Signs and Symptoms of Brain Injury

Since the injury sustained after a trauma affects each person’s brain differently, the symptoms of a brain injury vary greatly from one person to the next. Some common symptoms include chronic headaches, dizziness, fatigue, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, changes in behavior, sleep issues, loss of motivation, and more. Changes in cognitive functions such as poor memory, difficulty concentrating, and confusion, are common signs of brain injury as well.

Although the number and severity of symptoms vary by person, the common theme is the onset of these symptoms following trauma to the head. If one or more of these symptoms develop after such an incident, looking into brain injury should be an important consideration.

The Next Step

If you think you or someone you know may suffer from a brain injury, here are some suggestions:

Attend a Brain Injury Association chapter meeting or support group meeting. You can also search online to see if there are any local brain injury support groups. These meetings can be an invaluable tool to you if you are just starting to learn about brain injury. Members can provide information, names of doctors, brain injury programs, and more. I was able to learn more in a 2 hour chapter meeting than I was able to learn in a whole month of doing research.​

Get Diagnosed- It is very important to find the right doctor who will know how to properly diagnose you. This is where recommendations from other brain injury survivors can come in very handy. They can tell you the types of specialists along with any specific doctors that have helped them. They can also tell you about brain injury programs they found the most beneficial.

TBI’s are typically diagnosed by neuropsychologists, though different hospitals or programs may have different procedures. If you are in the New York City area, the two main brain injury programs are at Mount Sinai Hospital and NYU Rusk Rehabilitation Center.​

Get Treatment- Getting treatment will usually mean entering a brain injury program that is available in your area. Treatment plans vary and typically include rehabilitation, physical therapy, cognitive remediation, counseling, and any medical support you may need.

In addition, following the suggestions outlined on this website can prove to be beneficial for TBI symptoms. Upper cervical care and Endonasal Balloon Therapy may be something to look into more. Both those therapies have helped me tremendously with my post concussive symptoms. Looking into Vertical Heterophoria is a good recommendation for TBI survivors as well. Whether you decide to try these therapies or not, they are good to know about nonetheless.

Financial Assistance- If you are experiencing the symptoms of TBI, it may be very difficult or impossible for you to work. Programs such as Social Security and Disability can provide assistance under TBI. TBI programs can also help with housing costs as well as other forms of assistance. There may be state programs which you can qualify for as well.

Once again, other brain injury survivors can be invaluable in providing you with information. Don’t be embarrassed or too proud to ask. There is nothing wrong with seeking financial assistance as long as you have a genuine need for it.

Help Others- Helping others can actually be very therapeutic and may very well help with your own healing. “Even if you need a lot of help yourself, you can still help others.” This was said by someone at a BIA chapter meeting I recently attended and it is completely true. Never underestimate what you can do for someone else. A tiny gesture or word of encouragement can be the one thing that gives someone else the strength to continue fighting on.

There Is Hope

If you think you or someone you know may suffer form a brain injury, there is hope. Knowledge is the first step to finding an answer and the first step in the road to recovery. There are treatment and therapy options available that can help with your issues and assistance is available to assist with financial concerns.

In addition, there is an amazing brain injury community that supports each other wholeheartedly. From injury survivors themselves, to the volunteers and workers that help the community, there are countless people that will try to help you in whatever way they can. Most important of all, know that you are not alone in your journey. Things WILL get better. Stay strong.

I wish you the best!