National Brain Injury Awareness Month

In March, Brain Injury Awareness Month, the Brain InjuryAssociation launched a nationwide education and advocacy campaign:A concussion is a brain injury. Get the facts.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to thehead or penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of thebrain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. Theseverity of such an injury may range from mild, i.e., a briefchange in mental status or consciousness, to severe, i.e., anextended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury andcan result in short or long-term problems.

Today in the U.S., there are over five million people sufferingfrom TBI. A TBI occurs every 12 seconds. Death from a TBI occursevery 12 minutes. Of the 1.4 million people who sustain a TBI eachyear in the U.S., 50,000 die and 235,000 are hospitalized.

Approximately 48 percent of TBIs are due to automotive, motorcycle,bicycle and pedestrian accidents. About 20 percent are due toviolence. About 20 percent are due to falls. More than 12 percentare due to assaults. Males are about 1.5 times as likely as femalesto sustain a TBI, with children four years old and younger and15-to-19-year-olds at highest risk.

TBI can cause functional changes affecting thinking, language,learning, emotions, behavior and/or sensation. It can also causeepilepsy and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’sdisease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent withage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates thatat least 3.17 million Americans have a long-term or lifelong needfor help as a result of a TBI.

Concussions are the most common type of TBI sustained in sports.You do not need to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion. Youcan sustain a concussion even if you do NOT hit your head. Anindirect blow elsewhere can transmit an impulsive force to thehead and cause a concussion to the brain. You cannot see aconcussion, but you might notice some of the symptoms right away.Other symptoms can show up days or weeks afterwards. It’s best tosee a health care professional if you think you might have aconcussion.

An undiagnosed concussion can affect your abilities in everydayactivities. Signs and symptoms of concussions are nausea,dizziness, balance problems, double or fuzzy vision, sensitivity tolight or noise, headache, feeling sluggish, feeling foggy orgroggy, confusion, and trouble concentrating and remembering.

Never ignore a bump to the head. Tell your coach or teammates. Askto be taken out of the game, Pay attention to physical changes.Watch out for thinking problems. Talk to your parents or teachersabout the troubles you’re having. See a health care professional.Get plenty of rest. Return to practice and play only after yourbrain is healed and your health care professional says it’sokay.

Concussion symptoms can begin to decrease in the first fewweeks/months depending on the severity of the injury. Take thingsslow and be patient with yourself.

More information on Traumatic Brain Injuries can be obtained atbiausa.org and cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/TBI.htm.

I can be reached anytime at 718-630-8601, or, if it isurgent,

can be reached at 718-344-5646. Thank you.

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