Colorado Springs Car Accidents: Types of Head Injuries

Types of Head Injuries

Written by Jeremy D. Earle, JD

April 25, 2023

WHAT IS A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI)?

Any damage to the brain, skull, or scalp is considered a head injury. A traumatic brain injury may vary from a little bump or bruise to a severe head injury. Concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds are all common head injuries. The implications and treatments differ dramatically depending on what caused your head injury and how serious it is.

There are two types of head injuries: closed and open. Any head injury that does not shatter your skull is referred to as a closed head injury. An open (penetrating) head injury occurs when anything penetrates your scalp and skull, allowing something to enter your brain.

It’s difficult to tell how bad a brain injury is merely by looking at it. Some mild head injuries bleed profusely, while others may not bleed at all. All head injuries should be treated properly and evaluated by a physician.

Always seek treatment after a car accident. We have handled traumatic brain injury cases involving coup contrecoup injuries, steering wheel caused by direct impact, sound sensitivity issues, vision disturbance, brain contusions, and extremely high medical bills as a result.

Our personal injury attorneys are highly experienced in bringing traumatic brain injury lawsuits. It is not a show of qualifications for a snobby car accident attorney to run a commercial on TV. You need someone who is an experienced brain injury lawyer. We have seen the life altering damage caused by car accidents. We want to help you through this process as well. You can schedule a free consultation right on our website.

WHAT CAUSES A CONCUSSION?

In general, head injuries may be classified into two groups depending on the source of the injury. Head injuries may occur as a result of strikes to the head or as a result of shaking.

Shaking-induced head injuries are most prevalent in newborns and young children, although they may happen to anybody at any moment.

Head injuries produced by a blow to the head are most often related to:

  • car accidents
  • falls
  • attacks on the body
  • sports-related Accidents

Your skull will, in most situations, protect your brain from significant injury. However, traumas severe enough to produce a concussion may also result in spinal damage.

What are the most common kinds of head trauma? Hematoma

A hematoma is a blood clot that forms outside of the blood vessels. A hematoma in the brain may be quite dangerous. Pressure might build up within your head as a result of the clotting. You may lose consciousness or suffer lasting brain damage as a consequence of this.

HEMORRHAGE

Uncontrolled bleeding is referred to as a hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding in the area surrounding your brain, whereas intracerebral hemorrhage is bleeding inside your brain tissue.

Headaches and vomiting are common symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhages. The severity of intracerebral hemorrhages is determined by the bleeding volume, although any amount of blood may cause pressure to build up over time.

CONCUSSION

When a hit to the head is severe enough to induce brain damage, it is called a concussion. It’s supposed to be caused by the brain colliding with the hard walls of your skull or by fast acceleration and deceleration forces. In most cases, the loss of function caused by a concussion is only transitory.

REPEATED CONCUSSIONS, ON THE OTHER HAND, MIGHT CAUSE LIFELONG DAMAGE.

Edema, or swelling, may result from any kind of brain damage. Swelling of the surrounding tissues is common in many accidents, but it’s very dangerous in the brain. You can’t expand your skull to accommodate the swelling. This causes a buildup of pressure in your brain, causing it to push on your skull.

FRACTURE OF THE SKULL

Your skull, unlike most other bones in your body, lacks bone marrow. As a result, the skull is very durable and difficult to shatter. Because a shattered skull can’t absorb the force of a hit, it’s more probable that your brain will be damaged as well. Learn more about the effects of skull fractures.

WIDESPREAD AXONAL DAMAGE

A diffuse axonal injury (sheer injury) is a kind of brain injury that does not result in bleeding but damages brain cells. Because the brain cells have been damaged, they are unable to function. It may also cause edema, which can worsen the situation. A diffuse axonal injury is one of the most serious sorts of head injuries, even though it isn’t as obvious as other types of brain damage. It has the potential to cause irreversible brain damage, as well as death.

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WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A CONCUSSION?

Because your head has more blood arteries than any other area of your body, bleeding on the surface or inside your brain with a head injury is a severe worry. Not all head traumas, however, result in bleeding.

It’s crucial to be aware of any additional symptoms to be on the lookout for. Many signs and symptoms of significant brain damage may not be present immediately. After a head injury, you should always keep a close eye on your symptoms for many days.

A small head injury might cause the following symptoms:

  • a headache
  • lightheadedness
  • a spinning feeling moderate disorientation nausea
  • brief ringing in the ears.
  • Many of the symptoms of a severe head injury are similar to those of lesser head injuries. a loss of consciousness
  • seizures vomiting
  • difficulties with balance or coordination acute disorientation
  • a difficulty to focus the eyes irregular eye movements
  • a lack of muscular control
  • a persistent or increasing headache memory loss
  • mood swings
  • oozing clear liquid from the ear or nose
  • permanent brain damage
  • open head injuries
  • coup contrecoup brain injury
  • severe TBI

WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP FOR A HEAD INJURY?

Head injuries are serious and should not be treated lightly. If you suspect you’ve suffered a major head injury, see your doctor straight soon. If you suffer any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical assistance right away: inability to function confusion disorientation

Call 911 or your local emergency services, or proceed to the nearest hospital emergency department. Even if you don’t go to the ER right away after an accident, you should seek medical treatment if your symptoms persist after a day or two.

Always contact 911 or your local emergency services if you have a potentially severe head injury. A brain injury may occasionally be made worse by movement. Emergency medical staff are trained to safely transport wounded persons without inflicting more injury.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOU’VE HAD A BRAIN INJURY?

The Glasgow Coma Scale is one of the first tools your doctor will use to examine your head injury (GCS). The GCS is a 15-point assessment of your mental health. A high GCS score suggests that the injury is not as serious.

Your doctor will want information about the circumstances surrounding your injury. If you’ve experienced a head injury, you’re likely to forget the specifics of the accident. If at all possible, bring someone who observed the accident with you. It will be critical for your doctor to assess whether or not you lost consciousness, and if so, for how long.

In addition, your doctor will evaluate you for symptoms of trauma, such as bruising and swelling. You’ll very certainly be subjected to a neurological evaluation as well. Your doctor will measure your nerve function during this exam by looking at your muscle control and strength, eye movement, and sensitivity, among other things.

Head injuries are often diagnosed via imaging techniques. Your doctor will use a CT scan to check for fractures, signs of blood and clotting, brain swelling, and other structural issues. CT scans are the most used form of imaging because they are quick and accurate.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may also be performed. This may provide a more in-depth look at the brain. An MRI scan is normally scheduled only when your illness has stabilized.

WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR A HEAD INJURY?

Head injuries are treated differently depending on the nature and degree of the damage.

Minor head injuries often have no symptoms other than discomfort at the injury site. In certain situations, you may be prescribed acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve discomfort.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) or aspirin, should be avoided (Bayer). These may exacerbate any bleeding. If you have an open wound, your doctor may close it with sutures or staples. They’ll next apply a bandage on it.

Even if your injury seems small, you should watch it to ensure it does not worsen. It’s not true that if you’ve had a brain injury, you shouldn’t sleep. However, you should be roused every two hours or so to monitor for any new symptoms. If you have any new or worsening symptoms, you should contact your doctor.

If you suffer a significant head injury, you may need to be admitted to the hospital. Your diagnosis will determine the hospital care you get.

Severe brain injuries may need the following treatments: Medication

Anti-seizure medicine may be prescribed if you’ve experienced serious brain damage. In the week after your accident, you’re at risk for seizures.

If your injury has produced a buildup of pressure in your head, you may be prescribed diuretics. You excrete more fluids when you use diuretics. This may alleviate some of the stress.

If your damage is life-threatening, you may be given drugs to induce a coma. If your blood vessels have been damaged, this may be an acceptable therapy. Your brain doesn’t need as much oxygen and nutrients while you’re in a coma as it does when you’re awake.

Surgery

To avoid more damage to your brain, emergency surgery may be required. Your doctor may need to operate to remove a hematoma fix your skull relieve some of the pressure in your head, for example.

Rehabilitation

If you’ve suffered significant brain damage, you’ll almost certainly need therapy to restore full cognitive function. The sort of therapy you get will be determined by the level of functioning you’ve lost due to your accident. People who have suffered a brain injury will often need assistance in recovering movement and speech.

WHAT CAN WE ANTICIPATE IN THE LONG RUN?

The prognosis is determined by the degree of your injuries. Minor head injuries, for the most part, have no long-term repercussions. Serious brain injuries may cause lifelong changes in personality, physical talents, and thinking capacity.

Severe head injuries in children are very dangerous. It’s often assumed that growing brains are vulnerable to injury. This is a topic that is currently being researched.

Your healthcare team will collaborate with you to ensure that you have the best possible recovery.

Head injuries may take several forms from scalp injuries like cuts, scratches, bumps to skull fractures, hemorrhages, and traumatic brain damage. While both are unpleasant, we are more worried about traumatic brain damage because of its long-term consequences.

Any sort of brain damage produced by abrupt trauma is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs may be mild, moderate, severe, or deadly, just like any other brain injury.

PEOPLE USUALLY DIVIDE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY INTO THREE DISTINCT KINDS

Others, on the other hand, feel there are four classes. Contusions, concussions, penetrating brain injuries, and diffuse axonal injuries are common TBI classifications.

WHEN PARTS OF THE BRAIN ARE BRUISED AND SWOLLEN, IT’S CALLED A CONTUSION

These injuries may be caused by almost any sort of head trauma and vary in severity. Surgery may be required in rare circumstances to relieve pressure and tension on a particular section of the brain.

ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT TBIS IS A CONCUSSION

The brain is a free-floating mass floating in fluid with a gelatin-like consistency. Concussions happen when the brain moves suddenly, impacting the inner chamber of the skull. A direct strike to the head or a blow to the body that causes the head to snap forward or backward may cause these injuries.

PENETRATING WHEN THE OUTER LINING OF THE BRAIN IS PUNCTURED, INJURIES RESULT

A projectile or sharp item is driven into the brain by a severe collision that may cause this. Piercing injuries are very serious because they are exposed wounds that need quick medical attention.

DAI IS A KIND OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN DAMAGE

When the skull is thrust forward or backward at a high rate (acceleration-deceleration traumas), the brain’s white matter is sheared, resulting in diffuse axonal injuries. Diffuse axonal injuries result in broad brain damage and disability, which may lead to coma or death. Unfortunately, surgery is not an option for therapy.

The majority of the injuries mentioned above are “closed head” wounds. Unless you employ medical imaging tools to locate them, these sorts of injuries typically go undetected. It’s critical to have these problems identified right away. TBIs have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia. There’s a relationship between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain injuries may cause problems not just for the person but also for the victim’s family members. I just published an essay on this topic: Taking care of brain injury sufferers.

Call the injury attorneys of Warrior Car Accident Lawyers, at 719-300-1100 for a free consultation and case review if you require a brain injury attorney in Colorado Springs.

Warrior Car Accident Lawyers

1902 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 100

Colorado Springs, CO 80904

719-300-1100

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