Brain Injury Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What causes brain injury?
There are a wide variety of causes of brain injury, including the following:
• A blow to the head
• Shearing of brain tissue as a result of rapid deceleration or acceleration, such as that which occurs during a car accident or other type of abrupt stop
• An object piercing the skull and entering brain tissue
• Slips and falls
• Violence
• Sports injuries
• Birth-related injuries
• Choking, near drowning, or other accidents that cause lack of oxygen or diminished oxygen to the brain
• Disease and illness
• Exposure to toxins
There are basically two types of brain injuries, and both occur after birth. Traumatic brain injury is the result of direct trauma to the brain that results in a particular part of the brain being damaged. Non-traumatic brain injury is the result of damage that does not occur as the result of an accident or trauma, and affects the entire brain on a cellular level.
Can brain injury be cured?
That depends. Some kids with brain injuries make what seem to be full recoveries, while others must live with long-term disabilities for the rest of their lives. Your child will see the most gains within the first six months following injury. Gains after that time period are slower, or sometimes don’t occur at all.
Doctors can attempt a prognosis based on the severity of the injury, as well as your child’s scores on the Glasgow Coma Scale. As a general rule of thumb, the longer the child remains unconscious, the greater the possibility the child will have long-term disabilities. That being said, just like no two people are exactly alike, no two brain injuries are exactly alike. Some kids with fairly serious injuries have returned to life as they knew it before the injury, while other kids with relatively mild injuries have battled brain injury-related issues their whole lives.
Early treatment is key, as is identifying the correct rehabilitation plan and long-term therapies. While many brain injuries can’t be “cured” per se, with the right medical team, treatment plan, and access to benefits and therapies, your child can return the maximum function possible, and can also learn to compensate for her injuries.
Can doctors tell what kind of long-term injuries my child will have?
Not definitively in the early stages of recovery. In cases involving traumatic brain injury, doctors can give you an idea of potential disabilities based on the severity and location of the injury. For example, if your child sustained an injury that occurred to the part of the brain that controls speech, it’s likely that your child’s speech will be affected. Doctors can estimate the degree of the disability as well as whether there will be long-term effects, but there’s still an element of the unknown. Long-term injuries associated with non-traumatic injuries can be even more difficult to predict, as the injury occurs on a cellular level rather than to a particular part of the brain.
In situations involving both traumatic and non-traumatic injury, time is the best predictor of long-term injuries. Your doctor can give you an idea of what potential long-term disabilities your child may have to deal with immediately following the accident, but six months down the road will have a better idea of brain injury-related issues your child may have to deal with.
What should I do if I suspect my child has sustained a brain injury?
Make sure your child gets medical attention immediately. Prompt medical attention that focuses on reducing the amount of swelling in the brain and preventing further injury is key to your child’s long-term recovery.
Is there anything that can be done to prevent brain injury?
Practicing good safety habits is the best way to prevent brain injury. Make sure that your child wears a helmet during contact sports as well as sports like bicycling, skateboarding, and rollerblading. Make sure all playground equipment your child plays on is in good repair, and that trampolines have the proper safety netting. Remove choking hazards from your home if you have children under three, and childproof your home so that window treatment cords do not pose a strangling hazard. If you have a swimming pool or if your child swims at a pool, ensure that safety measures are in place, including fences and adult supervision. Finally, do due diligence when it comes to your automobile. Check ratings to ensure that your automobile is crashworthy, and never drive on worn tires.