Head and Brain Injury Overview - Follow-up Care May Be Needed
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In just the United States alone, 1,000,000-plus people suffer from head injury each year. Head impact injuries, especially "traumatic brain injuries," can leave the victim in varying states of permanent injury. Blunt trauma to the skull area is the most likely source of traumatic brain injury. With traumatic brain injury, the victim's brain may swell, bruise, and tear.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
1.Tearing - The sudden impact of the body colliding with another object (such as the inside of a car or the ground) may cause very delicate tissue in the brain to tear apart. Unfortunately, modern medical diagnostic machines (x-ray, CT scan, MRI) often do not detect torn brain tissue. As a result, the injured patient may be given a clean bill of health when in fact there has been brain damage.
2. Bruising - Bruising, like tearing, is caused by impact to the headl. The impact forces the soft tissue of the brain into the much harder skull. The collision between the tissue and the skull may rupture small blood vessels allowing blood to escape into areas of the brain unsuitable for such blood. The unconfined blood places additional pressure on the brain tissues. This pressure can cause parts of the brain to stop functioning. As the brain is responsible for operating the most basic bodily functions (such as breathing), it can be quite perilous for any part of the brain to shut down for any length of time.
3. Swelling - While swelling in most other body parts is not typically considered life threatening, swelling of the brain can be very serious. When swelling occurs in other parts of the body, the tissue surrounding the injured area expands to relieve the pressure. The brain however is surrounded by the hard bone of the skull and therefore cannot expand to accommodate the swelling which occurs inside. When the brain swells, the pressure inside the skull increases along with the likelihood of severe and possbily permanent damage as a result thereof.
It is thus VERY important to keep consulting with your Physician if you are continue to experience headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of memory, etc., as a result of ANY type of accident, even if initial testing indicated no brain damage.