Health Disease

What is Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury typically causes from a violent jolt or blow either to the head or body. A bullet or any shattered piece of skull are some of the objects that penetrates in the brain tissue can also lead to traumatic brain injury.

Your brain cells might get affected temporarily in case of mild traumatic brain injury. There are even more-serious traumatic brain injuries that may result in bruising, bleeding, torn tissues, and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can cause long-term complications or even death in some cases.

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury is generally caused because of a blow or any other traumatic injury to the head or body. The force of impact and the nature of the injury are two factors that mainly are the reasons that help understand the degree of damage.

Mentioned below are some of the common causes of traumatic brain injury:

• Falls: A fall from a ladder or a bed, or from the stairs, in the bath and other falls are the most common traumatic brain injury causes mostly in older adults as well as young children.
• Vehicle-related collisions: Collisions that involve cars, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians that are involved in such accidents are usually common causes of traumatic brain injury.
• Violence: Child abuse, gunshot wounds, domestic violence, as well as other assaults are some of the common traumatic brain injury causes. Shaken baby syndrome is a traumatic brain injury that is caused in infants due to violent shaking.
• Sports injuries. Traumatic brain injuries causes may also be due to injuries resulting from soccer, number of sports such as boxing, baseball, hockey, football, lacrosse, skateboarding, as well as other high-impact or extreme sports. These types of traumatic brain injuries are most common in youth.
• Explosive blasts and other combat injuries. Explosive blasts are typically common causes of traumatic brain injury usually in active-duty military personnel. Though the causing of damage isn’t yet completely understood, there are yet many researchers who believe that the pressure wave that passes via the brain significantly disrupts the functioning of the brain. Traumatic brain injury causes are also penetrating wounds, falls, bodily collisions, severe blows to the head due to shrapnel or debris, etc.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

There are three main types of traumatic brain injuries that are mentioned below:

• Closed Head Injuries

Closed head injuries are the most common types of traumatic brain injuries. In short, here there won’t be any visible bleeding or open wounds. However, the head moves rapidly in more than one direction and therefore the brain has no choice to follow. If the brain twists or collides against the skull, it might result in internal bleeding in the brain and the damage to the nerve fibers.

• Open-Wound Injuries

Penetrating or open wound brain injuries may be accompanied with a closed head injury however are seen less frequently in a hospital emergency room. In case an individual suffers from this type of injury, they will mostly risk exposure of the brain through a breakage in the skull. Examples from these types of traumatic brain injuries are sporting accidents, knives, gunshot wounds.

• Crushing Injuries

Crushing injuries are the types of traumatic brain injuries that are of final kind wherein the brain is crushed between two objects, and though it may at times damage the brain, it is more likely in resulting damage to the brain stem as well as the base of skull and/or the neck region.

Treatment

What should you do in case your Traumatic brain injury worsens?

In case you or your child got a blow on your head or any traumatic brain injury, it is important that you visit a doctor immediately. Keep an eye on symptoms such as seizures, drowsiness, change in eating habits, change in sleeping habits, nausea, vomiting, loss or interest in activities, profound confusion, slurry speech, coma, etc.

What are the available Traumatic brain injury treatment options?

In case of mild traumatic brain injury, symptoms usually go away without treatment. However, in case it’s repeated, the mild traumatic brain injury can be either too dangerous or fatal. This is the reason why it is vital to take rest and avoid any further exposure until your doctor gives the go-ahead.

More severe cases will need hospitalization and possibly also intensive care.

Emergency care aims at stabilizing the patient's condition as well as prevent any worsening of brain damage that ensures that the airway is open, offering ventilation as well as oxygen, and maintaining the blood pressure.

Medications that will help in controlling symptoms are:

• Sedation: Sedation is the traumatic brain injury treatment that will help in preventing agitation as well as excess muscle activity and also contribute to pain relief. Some of the examples of sedation are profanol.
• Pain relief: Traumatic brain injury treatment also includes Opioids.
• Diuretics: Diuretics are the types of traumatic brain injury treatments that help in increasing the urine output and thereby reduce the amount of fluid in the tissue and therefore are administered intravenously.
• Anti-seizure medication: Anyone who has experienced traumatic brain injury from moderately to severely may have seizures for up to a week post the incident. Medication will be beneficial in preventing any further brain damage resulting from a seizure.
• Coma-inducing medications: A person will require very less oxygen, during a coma. At times, a coma may be purposely induced coma in case the blood vessels are unable in supplying adequate amounts of food as well as oxygen to the brain.

Surgery

Surgery may be essential in some cases.

• Removing a hematoma: Any internal bleeding may cause either partly or fully clotted blood to pool in certain parts of the brain further leading to worsen the pressure on the brain tissue. Emergency surgery may be useful I in removing a hematoma from between the skull and the brain, thereby reducing the pressure inside the skull as well as preventing any further damage to the brain.
• Repairing a skull fracture: Traumatic brain injury treatment also includes repairing the skull fracture. This happens when any part of the skull is fractures or any pressing into the brain will require a surgery for its treatment. Skull fractures that do not press into the brain will normally heal on their own. The main issue with a skull fracture is that the strong force may further cause result in an underlying damage.
• Creating an opening in the skull: In case other interventions haven’t worked, this can help in relieving the pressure.

Long-term treatment

In case someone experiences a severe Traumatic brain injury may require rehabilitation. Based on the type of Traumatic brain injury as well as its extent, they may require to relearn how to walk, talk, as well as carry out other day-to-day tasks. This involves treatment in a hospital or in a specialized therapy center.

Are there any natural or homemade remedies for Traumatic brain injury?

Mentioned below are some of the natural or homemade remedies for traumatic brain injury:

• Aromatherapy: It is said that essential oils help in reducing nausea and other symptoms of depression and anxiety related to traumatic brain injuries. However, there is no effective study or research on the same.
• Massage therapy: Any cognitive and balance issues are well taken care with the help of massage therapy. It relieves tension in your neck and ultimately get rid of the traumatic brain injury symptoms.
• Acupuncture: Acupuncture, is another useful natural remedies for traumatic brain injury. Any side effects related to traumatic brain injury are taken care with acupuncture. It also helps in promotion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), thereby helping in the production of new brain cells.
• Aquatic therapy: Aquatic therapy helps to decrease any muscle spasm, increase the circulation, increase the cardiac functions, improve the body posture as well as decrease the force of gravity thereby making it easier to walk.

When to see a doctor?

In case you feel any behavioral changes in yourself or your child post a blow on the head, it is always best to visit a doctor immediately. It is important that you seek emergency medical care in case there are any traumatic brain injuries signs or symptoms following a recent blow.