March is Brain Injury Awareness Month in America. This awareness campaign has been recognized for over 30 years and is supported and promoted by most health organizations in the country with lots of campaigns and social media activity encouraging interest and education.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has the designated theme and hashtag #MoreThanMyBrainInjury to recognize the 5.3 million-plus adults and children in the U.S. living with some sort of permanent brain injury-related disability. Many of these injuries are a result of stroke, infectious disease, and brain tumors. But these numbers also include mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or what we call concussions.
Most of us never imagine that our lives could be impacted by a brain injury, but the BIAA reports that at least 3.6 million people sustain a brain injury each year in the United States. We should all inform ourselves about how brain injuries occur, and how to reduce them. Awareness is so important if we want to reduce the number of incidents and keep our brains healthy.
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an injury that affects how the brain works. TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the United States. Anyone can experience a TBI, but data suggest that some groups are at greater risk of getting a TBI or having worse health outcomes after the injury.
It may be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating injury (such as from a gunshot) to the head. In 2019, there were more than 223,000 TBI-related hospitalizations – and about 15% of all U.S. high-school students self-reported one or more sports or recreation-related concussions within the preceding 12 months.
The typical causes include:
TBIs affect the lives of people of all ages. Anyone can experience a TBI, but data suggest that some groups are at greater risk of dying from a TBI or experiencing long-term health problems after the injury. Examples of groups who are more likely to be affected by TBI, include:
People most commonly get TBIs from a fall, firearm-related injury, motor vehicle crash, or an assault. Research shows that falls lead to nearly half of the TBI-related hospitalizations; firearm-related suicide is the most common cause of TBI-related deaths in the United States, and motor vehicle crashes and assaults are other common ways a person may get a TBI.
A TBI may lead to short- or long-term health problems. Depending on the severity of the injury, those who get a TBI may face health problems that last a few days or the rest of their lives. For example, a person with a mild TBI or concussion may experience short-term symptoms and feel better within a couple of weeks or months. And a person with a moderate or severe TBI may have long-term or life-long effects from the injury.
A person with a possible TBI should be seen by a healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider may have treatment to help speed your recovery. Most people with a mild TBI or concussion can recover safely at home following a medical checkup, while people with moderate or severe TBI may need ongoing care to help with their recovery.
TBI affects children differently than adults. A TBI during childhood may affect brain development. An injury of any severity to the developing brain may limit their ability to participate in school and other activities, like sports.
As a result of a TBI, children may experience changes in their health, thinking, and behavior that affect learning, self-regulation, and social participation, all of which are important to becoming productive adults.
Older adults are more likely to be hospitalized and die from a TBI compared to all other age groups. Still, TBIs may be missed or misdiagnosed in older adults because symptoms of TBI overlap with other medical conditions that are common among older adults, such as dementia.
Healthcare providers should check for signs and symptoms of TBI if an older adult has fallen or has a fall-related injury, such as a hip fracture or had been in a car crash. This is especially important among older adults who are taking blood thinners, such as:
These medicines may increase the risk of bleeding in the brain following a TBI. Bleeding in the brain after a TBI may put a person at risk for more severe injury or death.
According to the Brain Injury Association of America, someone in this country will experience a brain injury every nine seconds. Sudden bumps or jolts can cause the brain to bounce back and forth in the skull, causing injuries of varying degrees.
Concussions are TBIs that can cause functional changes in the way our brains work. Concussions most often occur as a result of blows to the head during:
You can also incur a concussion from simple household mishaps, like accidentally walking into a door and banging your head. While most concussions are luckily not life-threatening, the long-term effects of TBIs can affect some patients and require prolonged medical care.
When they happen, concussions may or may not present themselves in obvious ways. TBIs can cause the symptoms you might expect, such as:
Unfortunately, concussions can sometimes go undetected because their symptoms may not appear related to a head injury. These symptoms can include:
Most individuals who experience concussions will fully recover within a few days or weeks. Others may, unfortunately, experience consequences for longer periods of time. If you or someone you care about has had a serious head jolt of some sort, early medical assistance can mean the difference between full recovery and living with some of those lingering longer-term and unpleasant symptoms. The MAC Alliance utilizes advanced screening tools to help facilitate the early diagnosis of concussions. A prompt assessment means that we can establish individualized brain injury rehabilitation programs to maximize patient outcomes.
We tend to think about head injuries as they relate to youth sports and professional athletes, but older adults also face high risks of concussion, often simply from falling. Harvard Medical School reported that head injuries from falling are a common cause of hospitalization and even death among individuals over age 65. And the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that, from data collected as recently as 2014, a full four in five TBI-related emergency department visits in older adults (aged 65 years and older) were the result of falls. In addition, hospitalization rates stemming from TBI-related emergency room visits were highest among persons 75 years of age and older.
Brain Injury Awareness Month is a great time to remind everyone to wear their helmets. Studies consistently indicate that all of us can decrease our risk of serious brain injuries by simply wearing helmets. Helmet-wearing should become second nature to children so they develop this good habit for life.
Many people with disabilities have their lives defined for them. The #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign gives individuals a chance to overcome those definitions, allowing them to tell their own stories and change the narrative of their lives.
This Brain Injury Awareness Month, join the #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign in a way that feels uniquely you.
Whether you want to share your story in writing, post to social media, explore your artistic side or amplify the voices of others, there are many different paths to raising awareness of brain injury.
Read about the personal experiences of members of the brain injury community in our vignettes. Click here to view and download campaign collateral.
At least 3.6 million people in the U.S. sustain brain injury each year. Want to learn more? Download the general fact sheet from BIAA or review their 2022 Legislative Issue Briefs.
Advocates with a personal investment in the cause make the greatest champions. Why not write a letter to the editor or try to get a PSA aired on your local radio station? Click here for ways to engage the media.
Ready to take the next step? Join the many BIAA supporters who are raising funds for brain injury services, support, and research all across the United States. Click here to start your fundraiser.
Sources:
https://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/public-awareness/brain-injury-awareness
https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/brain-injury-awareness-month-2022/
https://macconcussion.com/5-fast-facts-in-honor-of-brain-injury-awareness-month/
https://protect-your-wealth.com/blog/brain-injury-awareness-month-2022/