Head Injuries vs. Traumatic Brain Injuries: Causations, Distinctions, Similarities, Relationships and Treatments, Part I
Many individuals who suffer a head injury initially present for acute care with what appears to be a relatively straightforward injury. It can include just about any trauma that injures the head, scalp, or, as it may later turn out, the brain. Acute care is often first rendered at a hospital or similar acute care facility. Head injuries are commonly caused by:
• Accidents at home
• Accidents at work
• Falls
• Motor vehicle collisions
• Physical assaults
Head injuries can include concussions, scalp wounds and skull fractures. Although the term “concussion” is frequently heard, and sometimes minimized in significance, it is important to understand its real meaning and seriousness. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury . It may be caused by a bump, blow or a jolt to the head. It may also occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes an individual’s head and brain to move quickly back and forth. Depending upon the severity of the concussion or other head injury, once the acute level of care is rendered, the individual may require rehabilitation or even specialized rehabilitation to achieve the best possible outcome and to ensure independence.
Concussions are sometimes characterized as “mild” traumatic brain injuries because they are frequently not immediately life threatening. However, in a study at the University of Glasgow, reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, a researcher determined that a higher rate of death was associated with individuals who sustained mild head injuries. Specifically, the researchers followed a group of individuals who were hospitalized for mild head injuries and a control group with no history of head injury. All were followed for 15 years. The researchers found that overall, the individuals who sustained head injuries died at a rate of 2.45 percent per year, while those that had not sustained head injuries died at an annual rate of 1.34 percent per year .
Head injuries may result in bleeding in the brain tissue or in the layers surrounding the brain. When the injury causes bleeding in the thin layers that surround the brain, the injury is usually called a subarachnoid hemorrhage. When the bleeding is a collection of blood accumulating in the space between the dura and arachnoid mater of the meninges of the brain, the condition is usually called a subdural hematoma or subdural hemorrhage . The dura, also called the dura mater is a thick membrane that is the outermost of the three layers of tissue that surround the brain and the spinal cord. The arachnoid is the middle layer. The term meninges refers to both the dura, the arachnoid, and another layer, called the pia mater. The latter is the innermost layer that is the closest to the brain tissue itself. It is a thin fibrous tissue that is impermeable to fluid. The fact that it is impermeable permits it to enclose the cerebrospinal fluid. By containing the fluid, the pia mater works with the other meningeal layers to protect and cushion the brain.
Symptoms of head injuries can manifest quickly or slowly. Even absent a skull fracture, the brain can become bruised because of an impact against the inside of the skull. From the outside, the skull may appear uninjured, but later problems can result from interior bleeding or swelling. Also, in any serious head injury, there can be a spinal cord injury.
NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is a fully accessible residential post-acute program providing superior care and specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic amputations and other catastrophic injuries.
2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757
Call: 800.626.3836
Email: Info@NeuLifeRehab.com
Visit: NeuLifeRehab.com
