Concussions & Brain Injuries Slideshow Pictures: Symptoms, Tests & Treatment

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD on Monday, February 20, 2012

$Photo of CT scan of fractured skull.$

Head Injuries and Your Brain

Your brain is well protected from most damage. It sits inside a hard, bony skull. Layers of membranes and fluid provide even more padding. But even with all of this natural protection, the brain can still get injured. And damage to it can affect everything you do, from thinking to moving. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is any blow to the head that's hard enough to affect the brain's function.

How Your Brain Can Get Hurt

A hard blow to the head can shake the brain inside the skull, resulting in bruising, broken blood vessels, or nerve damage to the brain. When you take a hard hit to the head but there's no outward bleeding or opening in the skull, it could result in a closed brain injury. An open brain injury is when an object penetrates the skull and goes into the brain.

Brain Injuries: Mild vs. Severe

A TBI can be mild or severe. A concussion is a mild TBI -- you should recover pretty quickly. A severe TBI can do enough damage to knock you unconscious for a longer period of time. It can even lead to a coma or death.

What is a Concussion?

A concussion is caused by a jolt that shakes your brain back and forth inside your skull. Any hard hit to the head or body -- whether it's from a football tackle or a car accident -- can lead to a concussion. Although a concussion is considered a mild brain injury, it can leave lasting damage if you don't rest long enough to let your brain fully heal afterward.

How Do You Know It's a Concussion?

After a fall or hit to the head, you may be knocked out for a few seconds. But many people with concussions do not black out. A few telltale symptoms will show that you may have a concussion. Dizziness, nausea or vomiting, blurry vision, headache, and trouble thinking clearly are all signs that you need to see a doctor to get your head injury checked out.

Healing After a Concussion

Just like you need to rest your ankle after a sprain, you need to rest your brain after a concussion. Get plenty of sleep to give your brain time to heal. Ease back into activities like school and work slowly when you start feeling better. Stay off the playing field until your doctor gives you the OK. Getting a second concussion before the first one has healed can slow your recovery and increase the risk for permanent damage.

Skull Fractures

The skull is pretty tough. But if it's hit hard enough, it can crack. That's called a skull fracture. If the sharp edges of a fractured skull bone press into the brain, they can damage the delicate tissues and lead to bleeding in the brain. One sign of a skull fracture is clear fluid or blood draining from the nose or ears.

Bleeding in the Brain

Your brain can bleed if it's injured and blood vessels inside it are damaged. The trapped blood can pool, forming a bump called a hematoma. If the hematoma puts pressure on the brain, it can squeeze or cut off blood flow to the brain -- a medical emergency. Signs of a hematoma include headaches, vomiting, and trouble with balance.

Diagnosing Brain Injuries

Your doctor can tell whether you have a brain injury by doing a series of tests. You may be asked questions to check your memory, concentration, problem-solving ability, and other brain functions. To see if there's an injury and to find where it's located, you may have a brain scan called computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Brain Injuries and Memory

An injury can damage the parts of your brain you need to store and retrieve information. That's why you may have a harder time remembering your birthday, what you ate for breakfast, or the accident that caused your brain injury. Some memory loss after a brain injury is normal, but it should come back. People with severe brain injuries sometimes lose their memory for longer periods of time.

Brain Injuries and Movement

An injury can also damage parts of your brain that help you balance and walk. As a result, you may feel dizzy -- like the room is spinning. Parts of your brain that help you see clearly and gauge depth may also be affected. Physical therapy and other rehabilitation can improve your balance and movement after a head injury.

Brain Injuries and Mood

You may not feel like yourself after a TBI. Up to half of people experience symptoms of depression -- including persistent sadness and sleeplessness. Some have wild mood swings -- laughing one minute and then crying the next. Others feel overly angry or anxious. If you can't control your emotions, talk to your doctor about treatments.

Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries

A serious brain injury can stick with you for life. Problems thinking, moving, and controlling your emotions may not go away, especially if you've taken many hits to the head (from sports, for example). There's some evidence that having a TBI increases your risk for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, and other brain disorders as you get older.

Recovery from Severe Brain Injury

For mild injuries like concussions, the best therapy is to rest and give your brain a chance to heal. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy can help with the physical and mental side effects of severe brain injuries. Counseling sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist can help you learn to live with your injury.

How Common Are Brain Injuries?

Every year, 1.7 million people have an accident that leads to a traumatic brain injury. Most head injuries -- about 75% -- are mild, including concussions. But more serious brain injuries send 275,000 people to the hospital and cause 52,000 deaths every year.

Children and Brain Injuries

Brain injuries rank among the leading causes of disability and death in children. Nearly half a million kids -- more boys than girls -- visit an emergency room for a brain injury each year. Kids with TBI can have more trouble learning, compared with their peers. They may also struggle with behavioral and emotional problems.

Is It Just a Bump on the Head?

Learning to walk is a wobbly time. An unsteady toddler can take a lot of tumbles. Luckily, kids are pretty resilient, and most bounce right back from a small bump on the head. But if your child won't stop crying, is throwing up, says his head or neck hurts, or has trouble waking up after a fall, call the doctor right away.

Safety on Bikes

Once they reach school age, kids are at risk from sports injuries and bicycle and car accidents. Teach kids to wear closely fitting helmets and other safety gear during sports and recreational activities. And make sure they follow bike safety rules about traffic and road hazards.

Head Injuries from Sports

Head injuries are common in professional and amateur sports like football, baseball, and hockey. Some professional leagues have even improved their sideline policies to treat athletes' head injuries more effectively. If you don't want to be carried off the field, wear a helmet that fits snugly every time you play. Supervise kids so they don't get too rough or play sports that aren't right for their age. And obey the rules to prevent falls and head-on collisions.

Safety in Cars

A car accident can thrust your head forward -- or worse, propel you from the vehicle headfirst. Before you put the key in the ignition, put on your seatbelt and buckle your child in an age-appropriate safety seat. Teach kids to wear seatbelts when riding in cars or school buses.

Preventing Head Injuries from Falls

You don't have to fall far, or hard, to hurt your head. To avoid taking a tumble, clean up the clutter, cords, and other hazards that may cause you to fall. Install lights above hallways and stairs so you don't stumble while going to the bathroom at night. Secure all rugs and mats firmly to the floor so they don't slide around.