Residents of Washington can suffer catastrophic injuries when involved in a serious accident. One of them is a brain injury, which can affect victims differently depending on the circumstances. These injuries can be closed or open and carry some differences.
Closed brain injury
A closed brain injury occurs when a person suffers a blow or jolt to the head and the skull remains intact. It may also develop when a person’s head jerks violently forward and back such as upon the impact of a car accident and the brain hits the inside of the skull. The brain’s tissue and blood vessels can sustain bruising and tearing. In addition to car accidents, other situations that can result in a closed brain injury are sports accidents, falls and shaken baby syndrome.
Open brain injury
An open brain injury occurs when an object penetrates the skull and pierces the brain. Severe impact to the head, such as from a gunshot wound, can cause it as well. Although logic would dictate that an open brain injury is more severe than a closed one, the opposite is often true. This is because closed brain injury carries a higher risk of blood clots developing However, both types can be severe and result in various side effects, including loss of consciousness or even death.
Understanding the symptoms of brain injuries
Brain injury symptoms can be short-lived or longer, mild or severe and temporary or permanent. Common ones include confusion, fatigue, shorter attention span and cognitive issues.
Depending on the severity of the injury, weakness, numbness or paralysis in the limbs, balance problems, seizures, sensory issues, difficulty swallowing and speech and language problems could occur. The part of the brain affected by the injury could even result in social problems and personality changes. Mental health changes like depression and anxiety can also occur.
Any type of brain injury is serious and warrants prompt medical attention.