What Are the Four Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Have you or has a loved one suffered a head injury? Even if the injured person seems okay at first, an injury to the brain could cause lasting physical, mental, and emotional hardships.

Most brain injuries are the result of an impact or swift motion, which causes the brain to impact the sides of the skull, causing bruising or lacerations to the brain tissue or its blood vessels. Other brain injuries are caused by something penetrating the skull and impacting or cutting the brain.

Brain injuries are most typically caused by automobile accidents or bad falls. A brain injury may also occur as a result of an accident at work, or from an act of violence, or during a sports activity. There are many types of brain injuries, some notably worse than others. We will now discuss four common types of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

What Are the Symptoms of a Concussion?

Concussions are by far the most well-known type of TBI and, years ago, they were thought to be mostly harmless in the long term. We now know better. A concussion can range from mild to severe. Concussions are especially dangerous the more frequently a person has them over their lifetime and may result in the condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Symptoms of concussions can include:

  • Hearing and vision impairment.
  • Memory loss.
  • Problems concentrating.

What is a Diffuse Axonal Injury?

A diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is similar to a concussion but markedly more severe. Like a concussion, a diffuse axonal injury is the result of the brain being jolted around inside the skull, impacting the hard bone, except that this injury results in tears in the brain’s connective tissues.

A DAI can result in a coma and/or long-term brain injuries.

What is the Severity of a Penetrating Brain Injury?

A penetrating brain injury is just what it sounds like: an injury sustained after something breaks through the skull and either cut or impacts the brain, such as a bullet to the head. Treatment is required immediately, sometimes including the removal of the penetrating object if it remains in the brain tissue.

Penetrating brain injuries can result in death. Those who survive may need brain surgery and years of therapy.

What is a Coup-Contrecoup Brain Injury?

A coup-contrecoup brain injury causes damage or bruising to both the side of the brain, where the impact occurred, and also the opposite side of the brain, where the jostled brain impacted the other side of the skull.

Serious car accidents and violent blows to the head can cause a coup-contrecoup brain injury.

What Are Other Types of Brain Injuries?

Additional types of brain injuries include:

  • Hypoxic brain injury.
  • Second impact syndrome.
  • Shaken baby syndrome.

If you’ve suffered a brain injury in an accident, first seek medical care. Then consult with a personal injury lawyer.


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