Severe Brain Injury Risks

Severe head injury can happen many different ways. You could be in a motor vehicle collision, take a nasty fall, or bang heads with someone at a sporting event. This is a very common injury that many people suffer every year.

The severity of the injury can be very hard to determine and can be quite expensive as it involves X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and other methods of testing. If you are lucky, you just injure the skull and skin but sometimes, the brain can be injured by a severe head injury. There are two main types of injury the brain can sustain from a severe head injury. There are closed-skull injuries such as a concussion, blow to the head, or fall that don't cause the skull to be penetrated by anything. There are also skull penetrating injuries where any type of object or even pieces of the skull itself are pushed into the brain.

One of the most common types of severe head injury is the concussion. This is when something hits your head causing the brain to be pushed against the skull. Sometimes there is a whiplash effect that causes the brain to hit one side of the skull and then the other. Though common, a concussion can sometimes lead to a traumatic brain injury. This is a closed-skull injury so it is almost impossible to judge on outward appearance alone. All forceful blows to the head should be followed by a trip to a hospital or doctors office so it can be evaluated, especially if there is any dizziness or prolonged headache. Traumatic brain injury can result from a concussion if it isn't detected and treated immediately. Death can occur if an aneurysm (or aneurism) which is an abnormal bulge in the wall of a blood vessel, ruptures.

A skull penetrating injury can be much more serious than a closed-skull injury depending on what object penetrates the skull and if it reaches the brain or not. The skull is fairly strong and there is a small space between the skull and brain so, if they are lucky, the object won't actually touch the brain. If it does, however, depending on the location and the severity, permanent brain damage may occur.

The best way to avoid a severe head injury is to wear a helmet or hard hat when working in a dangerous environment or engaging in dangerous activities. Bicyclists and skateboarders have a great risk of falling and sustaining a severe head injury and some places have passed helmet laws for these sports. Public facilities also usually require helmets. You can never be too safe when it comes to your head so it's a good idea to wear a helmet while on family bike rides as it encourages your children to wear a helmet also.