Differences and Similarities between Traumatic Brain Injuries and Mild Brain Injuries

Acute care and short term needs must be immediately addressed following any head injury. It is also necessary to determine the location and cause of the injury. That information may suggest some or all of the individual’s physical or mental deficits that exist or might be anticipated to arise in the future. In turn, the information may have a bearing upon later post-acute rehabilitation.

It is always vital to determine if there has been brain injury from the trauma and if so, the severity of it. A traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the term is usually used, is an alteration in the normal function of the brain. All traumatic brain injuries occur after birth and can result from many kinds of occurrences, including:

• Falls
• Assaults
• Motor vehicle collisions
• Sports injuries
• Striking the head against another surface

Some of the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are not obvious, while others are. The ones that are not may display themselves over time. They may be progressive and they may correlate with physical and mental abilities. All of them will ultimately require post-acute rehabilitation such as that furnished by NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida.

Among the outward signs of a potential traumatic brain injury (TBI) include:

• Spinal fluid, which is usually clear, leaking from the nose or ears
• Loss of consciousness
• Dilated pupils
• Respiratory failure
• Paralysis
• Slow breathing and low blood pressure
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

Among the less outwardly visible signs that may help diagnose a traumatic brain injury include the following:

• Inability to tolerate bright light
• Diminished vision
• Dizziness
• Balance problems
• Lethargy
• Memory problems
• Poor judgment
• Diminished organizational or “Executive Function” abilities
• Inappropriate emotional responses (laughing, crying)

In contrast to traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are “mild brain injuries.” All brain injuries are potentially serious. Many or most require rehabilitation or specialized rehabilitation at some point and can have far-reaching implications and effects upon an individual’s independence. Some of the distinctions between the categories of traumatic and mild are based, in part, upon causation, whether they are open or closed head injuries and whether they result in loss of consciousness (and if so, for how long).

A mild brain injury may be evidenced by some of the following symptoms:

• A brief loss of consciousness, usually measured in seconds, but sometimes, in minutes;
• A sense of being dazed or confused;
• A normal or somewhat abnormal brain scan.

It is typically characterized by a change in mental status, such as when the individual is dazed, confused or loses consciousness. Often, this mild level of brain injury is called a “concussion.” Like a traumatic brain injury (TBI), an individual who sustains a mild brain injury usually experiences a change in mental status. The change can range from a brief loss of consciousness to a feeling of being dazed or confused.

Although a concussion may be characterized as a mild brain injury, it can be accompanied by physiological and related changes to the brain such as:

• Because a concussion is caused when the brain receives trauma from an impact or a sudden momentum or movement change, the blood vessels in the brain may stretch and cranial nerves may be damaged;
• A concussion may have discernable physical consequences, some to such a degree as to be disclosed on a CAT scan;
• There may be a brief loss of consciousness;
• There may or may not be a fracture of the skull;
• A concussion can cause diffuse axonal injury resulting in temporary or permanent brain damage.
• It may take several months for a concussion to heal. Although the concussion may seem minor or mild the after-effects of this kind of trauma may require clinically relevant services geared toward rehabilitation in order to achieve the best possibly outcome for the individual[1].

Interestingly, a recent study found a significant difference between outgrowths of mild brain injuries and traumatic brain injuries. The study examined the inter-relationship between subjective reports of cognitive impairments and neuropsychological performance in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of differing severities. Specifically, the study examined the participants’ neuropsychological test scores and self-reported ratings according to TBI severity, whether there was a predictive relationship between self-reporting and cognitive test scores and  the influence of emotional functioning on self-reported cognitive functioning. The study concluded that the mild TBI group exhibited greater attentional impairments, while the moderate-to-severe group exhibited greater memory and learning impairments on neuropsychological tests. The mild group reported more cognitive symptoms than their more severely damaged counterparts[2].

Proper and timely post-acute rehabilitation that may determine the difference between disability and independence is what NeuLife refers to as the “platinum post-acute period” —  the crucial window following acute care that is needed to nurture the whole person to health with specialized, clinically relevant services.

NeuLife’s philosophy is that healing, wellness and personal fulfillment are best achieved in a positive and uplifting therapeutic environment where caring staff encourages, assists and supports each client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to achieve function and independence.

NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amputations, Burns and other Catastrophic Injuries and Challenging Diagnoses.

2725 Robie Avenue

Mount Dora, Florida 32757

[1] Brain Injury Alliance Utah, http://biau.org/types-and-levels-of-brain-injury/

[2] http://reference.medscape.com/medline/abstract/22149443