Brain Injury: How to Protect Yourself and What to Look For

At one time or another we've all bumped our head harder than normal, fallen or obtained some kind of injury to our heads and just carried on after taking a short rest, a good cry and maybe some ice, but did you ever spot to consider just how significant that injury *could* be?

With warmer weather on the horizon people are venturing outdoors more frequently to partake in those summer activities of their liking. Rollerblading, biking, skateboarding, riding a scooter or even swimming are all activities which can pose risks for acquired brain injuries.

A brain injury can be caused by such things as a blow to the head, whiplash, a fall, seizure disorder, an infectious disease or substance abuse, which may not show 'typical' symptoms as one may expect.

Educating yourself about brain injuries can assist you in knowing if a fall was far more detrimental to ones health than originally thought.

An acquired brain injury is defined as:

‘Damage to the brain, which occurs after birth and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. These impairments may be temporary or permanent and cause partial or functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment.’

World Health Organization (Geneva, 1996)

During a 12 month span, between 2003 and 2004, more than 16,000 people were admitted into the hospital and treated for some head / brain related injury in Canada; that 16,000 does not include the many others whom were treated and released from a walk-in clinic or emergency room. (source)

But how do you know when a bump to the head is more serious? Some symptoms to look out for - if there isn't obvious trauma - include:

• abnormal pupil size
• abnormal gaze
• abnormal behavior – even if it’s subtle
• drowsiness
• disorientation
• vomiting
• lethargy
• loss of consciousness
• slurred or repetitive speech

If you're concerned about any deviation in behaviour the safest thing would be to take the injured party to the nearest emergency room because not every fall may be as simple as it appeared.

Take for instance the late actress Natasha Richardson, who had a seemingly innocent fall on a beginner ski slope at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. About an hour after her fall, symptoms that something was a little off with her behaviour were finally acknowledged, but by that point the epidural hematoma she suffered from had cause irrefutable damage leading to the actress' brain death.

While you're outdoors remember how important it is to protect yourself and the ones you love by wearing a helmet while biking, skiing, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc. Wear your seat belts and clean up slippery floors; take care while playing sports and remember that you can still enjoy all your favourite activities even while being safe. 

Sources:The Doctors, Fraiser Valley Brain Injury Association,

Comments

[Ajlouny]

Injuries are very common when doing outdoor sports, but our best defense is to protect ourselves with the tools that are provided to us, specifically a helmet. There is all sorts of head gear available for the very reason of how vulnerable our head and brain is when on a bike, scooter, snowboards...

[brain training]

There is nothing more disastrous than sustaining a brain injury. Brain injury is totally different from other injuries as it cannot be seen and treatment without seeing is really difficult. Besides the process of treatment is lengthy. I think that the best remedy for brain injury is 'prevention'. There goes the word- ' Prevention is better than cure'.