A Minor Brain Injury Is a Major Health Issue

Called a silent epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a serious concern for victims of automobile and other accidents in Illinois. According to the CDC, two leading causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are falls and motor vehicle accidents. While broken bones, lacerations and bruises are easy to see, mTBI may not be observable in diagnostic imaging tests used to assess brain injury after an accident.

An article in the October 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) discusses the importance of evaluation for mTBI by orthopedic surgeons and physicians treating patients after injury:

• Doctors trained to evaluate for mTBI provide critical service to patients who suffer functional brain injury. Intervention at an early stage may mitigate long-term decline and suffering.

• While imaging studies show no damage, mTBI occurs when the brain is jolted or energetically shifted within the skull. Neuronal damage occurs when cellular energy production by mitochondria spikes and falls off after an injury. This cellular behavior, suggests the Brain Injury Association of America (BIA), may be responsible for the increase in symptoms experienced in the days and weeks following an accident.

• Symptoms of mTBI include headache, dizziness, lethargy, vomiting, fatigue, anxiety and other symptoms that may be passed off as a psychologically based response to a serious accident.

If you were involved in an accident with impact to your head, be certain to obtain proper scans and x-rays of your brain. Even if you experience little to no symptoms in the short-term, the results of a minor injury can be catastrophic in the long run.

Though labeled minor, mTBI is a major problem. Proper evaluation and treatment is essential for anyone injured in an accident. An injury attorney at Dolan Law PC helps accident victims receive the medical care they so desperately need and deserve. 

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