While the brain is one of the most vital organs in the human body, it’s also extremely fragile, and even a simple bump to the head can result in head injuries.
These injuries can vary widely in severity and symptoms, impacting victims differently.
Many different types of TBIs exist, depending on the force of impact and the circumstances of the injury.
Types of Brain Injuries Based on Force and Direction
A car accident can result in different types of TBIs, depending on the force and direction of impact.
Types of TBIs can include:
- Primary Brain Injuries: A primary brain injury occurs at the moment of impact and involves direct physical damage to the brain tissue.
- Motor vehicle accidents, gunshots, and falls are common causes of primary brain injuries.
- Secondary Brain Injuries: A secondary brain injury occurs after the initial impact and often involves changes in blood flow or oxygen levels to the brain.
- Secondary brain injuries can cause further damage to already injured tissues and cells.
Types of Brain Injuries Based on Severity
Traumatic brain injuries can also be categorized based on their severity, ranging from mild to severe.
A mild traumatic brain injury — more commonly known as a concussion — is often a meek and short-lived condition.
Victims may experience temporary symptoms including:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Blurred vision
- Balance problems
- Temporary tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
A mild head injury may not appear on diagnostic imaging tests and may not require extensive medical treatment.
Seeking prompt medical attention is essential to rule out any underlying complications.
Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are much more severe and can result in long-term or permanent damage to brain cells and tissues.
Victims may lose consciousness for an extended period and experience other symptoms.
Other symptoms include:
- Severe headaches that persist or worsen
- Convulsions or seizures
- Vomiting or nausea that continues
- Impaired coordination and motor skills
- Slurred speech
- Short-term memory loss
- Behavioral changes (irritability or mood swings)
- Inability to speak or move
- Coma
A moderate to severe head injury can be life-threatening and require extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, or ongoing care for the victim’s lifetime.
It may also lead to long-term disabilities or even death.
Types of Brain Injuries Based on Penetration
Traumatic brain injuries can also be classified based on whether the injury involves a penetrating object or not.
Brain injuries based on penetration include:
- Closed Head Injuries: These injuries are the most common type of TBI, where there is no penetration into the brain.
- Instead, the injury occurs due to an impact on the head, causing damage to brain tissues and blood vessels.
- Open Head Injuries: Also known as penetrating injuries, open head injuries happen when an object or projectile pierces through the skull and enters the brain.
- An open head injury can result in severe damage to brain tissues, bleeding, and infection.
Other Types of TBIs
There are also other types of TBIs.
The other types include:
- Contusions: This type of TBI causes bruising of the brain tissue and can occur from a direct impact on the head or a violent shaking motion.
- Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI): These injuries involve stretching, tearing, or shearing of nerve fibers (axons) in the brain due to rotational forces during an accident. Axonal injuries can result in significant damage to brain function and may cause permanent disabilities, coma, or death.
- Coup-Contrecoup Injuries: This TBI — which means “blow” and “counterblow” in French — occurs when two points of impact are on opposite sides of the brain. The initial impact causes damage at the site of impact (coup injury), and a second impact can cause damage to the opposite side of the brain (contrecoup injury).
- Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (tSAH): This type of TBI occurs when bleeding occurs in the space between the brain and the skull (subarachnoid space). It can result from a direct impact on the head or indirect forces that cause the brain to move within the skull, damaging blood vessels.
- Hematoma: A hematoma is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels. Depending on the type of injury, it can occur in different areas of the brain.
- Skull Fractures: These occur when there is a break in one or more bones in the skull. Depending on the location and severity, skull fractures can cause damage to the brain tissue and require immediate medical attention.
Each type of brain injury presents unique challenges and requires tailored medical care and legal advocacy.
