Most Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury usually occurs after a blow to the head that results in brain damage or dysfunction.

By learning some common causes of traumatic brain injury, you can do your best to avoid these dangers for you and your children. More importantly, you can learn how to respond to these injuries.

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury can be the result of just about anything that involves a blow to the head. That said, certain accidents and injuries are likely to lead to traumatic brain injury most often.

The following are the five most common causes of a traumatic brain injury.

Car accident

Perhaps the most common cause of traumatic brain injury, particularly inside the United States, is car accidents. A car accident often causes the head to jerk back and forth suddenly. The head often collides with a hard object within the car, such as the steering wheel, dashboard or windows.

In many cases after a car accident, the individual is flooded with adrenaline, which can make the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury less obvious. It is vital that you seek prompt treatment after a car accident.

Sports injury

Most sports involve a fairly hard object, such as a ball or puck, that flies around the playing surface. It carries the potential to strike a player’s head at any moment. Therefore, sports injuries are prevalent and are another cause of traumatic brain injury.

By staying safe and wearing the proper protective gear, however, the risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury during a sporting event can be kept at a minimal level. Ensure your children wear helmets and pads, even when optional.

Violent altercation

Many violent altercations lead to an accidental traumatic brain injury. This carries the potential to result in lifelong disability or even death.

You do not need a weapon to cause an injury. Even a well-placed punch can be disastrous. In infants and toddlers, shaken baby syndrome is considered a form of traumatic brain injury.

Harmful fall

A fall can happen anytime, anywhere and for any reason. While harmful falls are more common in the elderly and very young, they can happen to anyone of any age as well.

Due to the prevalence of falls and the damaging effect they can have, they are considered one of the more common causes of traumatic brain injury. A fall that leads to a traumatic brain injury may include slipping in the shower, tripping down a set of stairs or falling from a ladder.

Military service

Those who serve in the military are constantly exposed to situations that carry a higher risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury, such as explosive blasts, physical altercations and flying materials.

If you have been to a war zone and experienced any wounds or blasts, you may have unseen damage to the brain.

Treating traumatic brain injury

By working with a doctor, you can treat the symptoms of traumatic brain injury through a variety of means. From therapy to emergency surgery, doctors have a large toolkit to address your wounds.

Call our office if you would like more information on treating these injuries.

Request an appointment here: https://www.drloudonpediatricneurosurgery.com or call Dr. William G. Loudon, Pediatric Neurosurgery at (714) 677-9463 for an appointment in our Orange office.

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