When you take a blow to the head, you will likely end up dealing with an injury to the brain as well. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often have the most dramatic effects on your overall health, as well as the longest-lasting changes to your life on a whole.
But how do you identify a TBI? What sets it apart from other forms of brain injury?
Moderate to severe TBIs
Mayo Clinic discusses symptoms of a traumatic brain injury in detail. TBIs will often have similar symptoms regardless of the level of severity behind it, though of course, the worse the severity is, the more pronounced and long-lasting the symptoms often are.
For example, both mild and severe TBIs often come along with severe or persistent headaches. However, with mild TBIs, these headaches may eventually fade on their own with time or grow to a bearable state. That does not mean you should skip out on getting a proper examination by a doctor, however. A doctor is the only person who can tell the true severity of your head injury and give you the treatment you need.
Neurological symptoms of TBIs
Keep an eye out for other neurological signs of a TBI, too. This can include confusion, brain fog, forgetfulness or other trouble with memories, and difficulties concentrating. You may also experience changes in emotion, such as feeling overwhelmed easily and unable to handle stress.
In more severe cases, you may also experience physical signs like bleeding from the nose and ears or leaking clear fluid, known as cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds the brain inside the skull. If you see such symptoms, it indicates a serious TBI that needs immediate care.
