Every year, millions of Americans suffer from concussions caused by sports accidents, violence, automobile accidents, and falls. However, besides a bump on a head, some of those who experience concussions may have symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well.
Symptoms of TBI include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, lack of motor coordination, difficulty balancing, light sensitivity, seeing bright lights, blurred vision, double-vision, and ringing in the ears. Diagnosis of TBI is complicated and there is little agreement amongst professionals as to what criteria is to be used. At least 41 systems currently exist to measure the severity of a mild head injury.
A recent study of TBI suggested that minimum requirements for diagnosis of TBI should include a credible mechanism for injury, impact to the head, amnesia for the event, disordered awareness after the event, and posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) that eventually resolves. The author also found that persistent symptoms were often due to other injuries that resulted in chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and the patient's own personality characteristics. Many of these issues create the same symptoms that TBI can be responsible for in the acute phase. This is an additional explanation of why chronic symptoms persist when a complete recovery should have been expected.
For further information: "Contemporary Issues in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury," Rees, P BM BCh PhD MRCP(UK) FRCP(C), Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol 84, no 12, December 2003.
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