Traumatic Brain Injury - Symptoms and Causes

What Is Brain Trauma?

Brain trauma happens when a strong hit or shake to the head hurts the brain. It can also happen if something like a bullet or broken skull piece goes into brain tissue.

Mild brain trauma might only affect brain cells for a short time. More serious trauma can cause bruises, torn tissues, bleeding, and other damage to the brain. These injuries may lead to lasting problems or even death.

For people with brain injuries, several helpful items exist:

Safety helmets for preventing future injuries.
Memory aids like notebooks and phone apps.
Balance equipment for physical therapy.
Speech therapy tools for communication problems.
Medication to manage symptoms.

Signs of Brain Injury

Mild brain injuries can cause several physical symptoms. These include headaches, feeling sick or throwing up, being very tired, trouble talking clearly, and feeling dizzy or off-balance.

People may also have sensory issues after a mild brain injury. They might see blurry images or hear ringing sounds.

Some notice bad tastes in their mouths or changes in their sense of smell. Many become more sensitive to light and noise.

Mental and thinking problems are common too. A person might:

Lose consciousness briefly (seconds to minutes)
Feel confused or “foggy” without passing out
Have trouble remembering things
Experience mood swings
Feel sad or worried
Have sleeping problems (either too much or too little)

More Serious Brain Injuries

More severe brain injuries include all the symptoms of mild injuries, plus these more serious signs:

Physical Signs

Being unconscious for minutes to hours
Headaches that won’t go away or get worse
Throwing up multiple times
Having seizures
Enlarged pupils (one or both eyes)
Clear fluid leaking from ears or nose
Cannot be woken up
Weakness or numbness in hands and feet
Poor coordination

Mental Changes

Extreme confusion
Unusual aggression or agitation
Slurred speech
Coma or other consciousness disorders

Brain Injury Signs in Children

Young children can’t always tell us what’s wrong. Watch for these signs of brain injury in kids:

Common Signs	Behavioral Changes
Changes in eating habits	Unusual irritability
Constant crying	Poor attention
Different sleep patterns	Seizures
Appearing sad	Extreme drowsiness
Less interest in toys	Cannot be comforted

Parents should be especially alert for these symptoms since children may not be able to describe headaches, confusion, or sensory problems they’re experiencing.

When to Get Medical Help After Head Injuries

See a doctor right away if you or your child has had a hit to the head or body that worries you or causes behavior changes.

Head injuries need quick attention, even if they seem minor at first. What doctors call “mild” brain injuries are still serious and need proper care.

Seek emergency care immediately if you notice:

Confusion or disorientation
Severe headache
Repeated vomiting
Seizures
Loss of consciousness
Unequal pupil size
Clear fluid coming from ears or nose
Weakness in arms or legs
Slurred speech

Don’t wait to get help if you see these warning signs after a head injury. Fast treatment can make a big difference in recovery.

Causes

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) typically results from a forceful impact to the head or body. The severity of the damage varies based on how the injury happened and how strong the impact was.

Falls are the leading cause of TBI across all age groups. They’re especially common in older adults and young children who may fall from beds, ladders, stairs, or in bathrooms.

Vehicle accidents represent another major cause of brain injuries. These include crashes involving cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians hit during such incidents.

Acts of violence contribute significantly to brain trauma cases. These include:

Gunshot wounds
Domestic violence incidents
Child abuse situations
Assaults

In infants, a specific form called shaken baby syndrome occurs when a baby is violently shaken, causing brain damage.

Sports-related injuries frequently result in TBI, particularly in young people. High-risk activities include:

Football
Soccer
Boxing
Hockey
Baseball
Lacrosse
Skateboarding
Extreme sports

Military personnel face unique risks from explosive blasts. Researchers believe the pressure waves from explosions can severely disrupt normal brain function. Combat-related TBIs also occur from:

Penetrating wounds
Blows to the head from debris or shrapnel
Falls following explosions
Collisions with objects after a blast

The nature and force of the injury play crucial roles in determining how serious the brain damage will be.

Risk Factors

People with higher chances of getting a traumatic brain injury include:

Children under 4 years old
Young adults between 15 and 24 years old
Adults over 60
Males across all age groups

These groups should take extra care to prevent head injuries during daily activities and sports.

Brain Injury Effects

Changes in Awareness

Brain injuries can cause serious changes in how aware someone is. When a person has a moderate to severe brain injury, they might experience:

Coma: The person is completely unaware and cannot respond to anything around them due to widespread brain damage. This might last for days or weeks before changing.
Vegetative State: Though the person might open their eyes, make noises, or move, they remain unaware of their surroundings. This can sometimes be temporary as the person recovers.
Minimally Conscious State: The person shows some small signs of awareness of themselves or their environment. This often happens as someone improves from a coma or vegetative state.
Brain Death: When doctors can find no activity in the brain or brainstem, this is called brain death. This condition cannot be reversed.

Body Problems

Brain injuries can cause several physical issues:

Physical Complication	Description
Seizures	May happen soon after injury or years later; recurring seizures are called post-traumatic epilepsy
Fluid Buildup	Cerebrospinal fluid can collect in brain spaces, causing pressure and swelling
Infections	Skull breaks can let bacteria enter the brain, causing meningitis
Blood Vessel Damage	Can lead to strokes or blood clots
Headaches	Very common after brain injury, it may last for months
Dizziness	Many experience vertigo after a brain injury

Brain injuries can also damage cranial nerves, causing:

Facial muscle paralysis
Changes in smell or taste
Vision problems or double vision
Trouble swallowing
Hearing loss or ringing in ears

Thinking Difficulties

After a serious brain injury, many people notice changes in their thinking abilities:

Cognitive Issues:

Memory problems
Slower learning
Trouble with reasoning
Poor judgment
Difficulty concentrating

Executive Function Problems:

Trouble solving problems
Difficulty doing multiple tasks
Poor organization
Problems planning
Trouble making decisions or completing tasks

Speaking and Understanding Issues

Communication problems are common after brain injuries and can cause frustration for everyone involved. These may include:

Trouble understanding what others say or write
Difficulty speaking or writing clearly
Problems organizing thoughts
Trouble following conversations

Social Communication Problems:

Difficulty taking turns in conversations
Problems expressing emotions through speech
Trouble understanding body language
Difficulty reading social cues
Problems starting or ending conversations
Inability to control speech muscles

Behavior Shifts

People with brain injuries may show behavior changes such as:

Poor self-control
Lack of self-awareness
Taking more risks
Struggling in social settings
Verbal or physical outbursts

Mood Changes

Brain injuries often affect emotions, leading to:

Depression
Anxiety
Mood swings
Irritability
Reduced empathy
Anger
Sleep problems

Sensory Difficulties

Brain injuries can affect how people experience their senses:

Constant ringing in the ears
Problems recognizing objects
Poor coordination
Vision problems or blind spots
Strange tastes or smells
Skin sensations like tingling or pain
Balance problems or dizziness

Brain Deterioration Conditions

Scientists are still studying how brain injuries might be linked to degenerative brain diseases. While we cannot predict who might develop these conditions, research suggests repeated or severe brain injuries might increase risks for:

Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes gradual memory loss and thinking problems.
Parkinson’s Disease: Creates movement problems like tremors and slow movement.
Dementia Pugilistica: Often seen in boxers after repeated head impacts, causing dementia symptoms and movement difficulties.

Staying Safe from Brain Injuries

Taking steps to avoid falls is key to protecting your brain. For older adults, making your home safer can make a big difference.

Start by adding handrails in your bathroom and on both sides of the stairs. Place non-slip mats in tubs and showers to prevent slipping.

Remove loose rugs that might cause trips, or make sure they’re secured properly to the floor. Good lighting is also important, especially around staircases and dark corners. Keep your floors and stairs free of items that could trip you.

Regular vision check-ups help ensure you can see hazards clearly. Exercise is also valuable since it builds strength and balance, making falls less likely.

Protecting Children’s Heads

Children are especially at risk for head injuries due to their active nature.

Install safety gates at the tops of stairs to prevent dangerous falls. Keeping stairs clear of toys and other items is essential for adults.

For windows, especially on upper floors, window guards can prevent serious falls.

In bathrooms, non-slip mats help children stay steady.

When choosing playgrounds, look for those with shock-absorbing materials like rubber mulch or sand under equipment. This helps reduce injury severity if falls occur.

Make sure all rugs in your home are secured to prevent tripping.

Never allow children to play on fire escapes or balconies, which present serious fall risks.

Other important safety measures include always wearing seat belts in vehicles and using proper car seats for children.

Wear helmets during activities like biking, skateboarding, or playing contact sports. Avoid alcohol when driving, and don’t use phones while walking or driving, as distractions increase accident risk.

Traumatic Brain Injury – Symptoms and Causes