Overview
Traumatic brain injury is damage to the brain caused by an external force, such as a blow to the head or a strong body impact that makes the brain move inside the skull. TBI may be mild, moderate, or severe. Effects can be temporary or long-lasting, depending on the injury and the person.
Key Symptoms
Symptoms can include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, memory problems, sensitivity to light or noise, blurred vision, balance problems, and unusual tiredness. Some people have mood or behavior changes, trouble sleeping, or difficulty concentrating. Severe injury may cause loss of consciousness, seizures, weakness, slurred speech, or trouble waking up.
Causes and Risk Factors
Common causes include falls, road traffic incidents, sports and recreation injuries, workplace injuries, assaults, and blast injuries. Risk can be higher in places with heavy traffic, unsafe work conditions, violence, or limited access to helmets and seat belts. Alcohol or drug use can also raise the chance of injury.
Who Is Affected
TBI can affect people of any age. Children, older adults, athletes in contact sports, military personnel, and people working in high-risk jobs may have a higher chance of injury. Anyone can also be affected in everyday accidents at home, on the road, or at work.
Prevention
Prevention focuses on reducing head injury risk. Use seat belts and child restraints, wear a helmet for cycling, motorcycling, and contact sports, and follow road and workplace safety rules. Fall prevention is important, especially for older adults, including good lighting, removing trip hazards, and using handrails.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional will ask about the injury, symptoms, and changes in alertness, memory, movement, and speech. The evaluation may include a neurological exam and, in some cases, imaging such as a CT scan or MRI. Monitoring over time is important because symptoms can change after the injury.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on how severe the injury is and what symptoms are present. Mild cases may need close medical follow-up and temporary changes to school, work, sports, screen time, or other activities. Moderate or severe injuries may require hospital care, rehabilitation, and support from specialists such as neurology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or mental health professionals.
Living With It
Recovery can take days, weeks, months, or longer. Some people improve fully, while others continue to have headaches, fatigue, memory trouble, emotional changes, or difficulty returning to work or school. Follow-up care can help with symptom management, rehabilitation, and planning a gradual return to activities.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get emergency help right away after a head injury if the person passes out, cannot be awakened, has repeated vomiting, worsening headache, seizure, confusion that gets worse, weakness, trouble walking, slurred speech, unequal pupils, fluid or blood from the nose or ears, or any breathing problem. In infants and young children, urgent signs can include unusual sleepiness, repeated vomiting, seizure, or behavior that seems very different from normal.