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What is brain injury?
Brain injury is an insult to the brain that generally results from an external trauma such as a blow to the head, but may also occur without any physical contact to the head as in a sudden acceleration/deceleration injury caused by a car crash. Trauma or forces exerted on the brain cause damage which often might be at the microscopic level which as a result can impact speech, cognition, behavior, personality, emotions, and perceptions.
What are the most common causes of traumatic brain injury?
Motor vehicle accidents account for more than half of all head injuries. Other causes are falls, industrial accidents, sporting accidents and acts of violence.
What are the common indicators and symptoms of traumatic brain injury?
While each person is different and the symptoms associated with a brain injury may differ, generally, one finds a change or loss of consciousness, dizziness, headaches, memory impairments, visual disturbances, speech disorders, disorientation and balance difficulties.
What other symptoms are associated with traumatic brain injury?
Individuals who have suffered a brain injury may experience symptoms and impairments in a number of areas including cognition, memory, impaired judgment, disorientation, language and learning deficits, fatigue, hearing and vision impairments, anxiety and depression, and other physical, behavioral, personality and emotional changes.
What is the spinal cord?
The spinal cord is part of the nervous system and measures approximately 18 inches long, extending from the base of the brain to about the waist. The nerves that branch out from the spinal cord to the other parts of the body are called lower motor neurons (LMNs). These spinal nerves exit and enter at each vertebral level and communicate with specific areas of the body.
What is a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the nerves within the spinal canal. Most SCI's are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, thereby affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function below the level of injury.
How common are spinal cord injuries?
Approximately 450,000 people in the United States have sustained spinal cord injuries, with more than 10,000 new cases of SCI emerging in the U.S. every year. Males account for 82 percent of all SCI's and females for 18 percent.
What are the leading causes of spinal cord injuries?
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI (44 percent), followed by acts of violence (24 percent), falls (22 percent), sports injuries (8 percent), and other causes (2 percent).
What are the signs of a spinal cord injury?
- Extreme pain or pressure in the neck, head or back
- Tingling or loss of sensation in the hand, fingers, feet, or toes
- Partial or complete loss of control over any part of the body
- Impaired breathing after injury
- Unusual bumps on the head or spine
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