Are There Different Kinds of Brain Injuries?
A brain injury can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Some of the symptoms are similar, but depending on the severity, these symptoms compound and become worse. It’s helpful to know about the different types of brain injuries that can happen to you so that you can better understand what has happened to your brain and can ask your doctors about your recovery.
The different types of brain injuries are as follows:
- Concussion This head injury could range from mild to severe, depending on the impact and if it is a repeated injury. This is the most common type of brain injury.
- Contusion Similar to a concussion, this injury is from an impact to the head. A contusion is when there is a bruise, or bleeding, on the brain.
- Coup-Contrecoup This is when there are bruises on two sides of the brain, one caused by the impact, the other caused by the brain moving and hitting the opposite side of the skull.
- Diffuse axonal When a head is shaken or rotated quickly, a diffuse axonal injury can happen. This is when tissue in the brain tears. The brain might also release chemicals that cause even more damage to the brain.
- Penetration When something enters the brain, it is considered a penetration injury. When something like a bullet enters the brain, it can ricochet inside. Other things can enter the brain if a person falls on an object or from other scenarios.
- Anoxia This is when the brain stops receiving oxygen either because the oxygen supply has stopped, or because the blood is not carrying enough oxygen.
- Hypoxic Similar to anoxia, a hypoxic brain injury is when the brain is not getting enough blood, and therefore is not getting enough oxygen. Things like blood clots can cause this.
On this list, some would be ranked as mild, moderate, or severe. A mild TBI happens when the loss of consciousness is brief or doesn’t happen at all, the person is slightly confused, their brain scans seem normal, but they still suffered from a concussion. These usually heal relatively easily and ,when fully healed, don’t have many trace side effects. Repeated mild TBIs, though, can create a more severe brain injury that can even be fatal.
A moderate TBI happens when the loss of consciousness is anywhere from a few minutes to hours, the person is confused, their confusion lasts for days, and they have cognitive impairments. These take longer to heal and, even when fully healed, the cognitive and physical impairments could be permanent.
A severe TBI is usually caused by a penetrating injury to the brain but can also come from a very forceful blow to the head. These can lead to extended periods of hospitalization and rehabilitation, and unfortunately, the injured person never returns to the same mental state or has the same physical capabilities as before the injury.