Did you know there are 5.3 million-plus adults and children in the U.S. living with some sort of permanent brain injury-related disability? Many of these injuries are a result of stroke, infectious disease, and brain tumors. But these numbers also include mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or what we call concussions.
Most of us never imagine that our lives could be impacted by a brain injury, but the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) reports that at least 3.6 million people sustain brain injury each year in the United States. Awareness is so important if we want to reduce the number of incidents and keep our brains healthy.To help increase awareness about brain injuries during Brain Injury Awareness Month, I wanted to share advice from my colleague, Dr. Vincent Schaller, a brain injury and concussion management specialist. Please read his informative blog post “Five Fast Facts About Concussions and Brain Health” below.
1. Concussions Happen More Often Than You Think.
According to the BIAA someone in this country will experience a brain injury every nine seconds. That’s a lot of cases! How this happen so often?
Sudden bumps or jolts can cause the brain to bounce back and forth in the skull, causing injuries of varying degrees. Concussions are TBIs that can cause functional changes in the way our brains work. Concussions most often occur as a result of blows to the head during:
2. Concussion Symptoms Aren’t Always Obvious.
When they happen, concussions may or may not present themselves in obvious ways. TBIs can cause the symptoms you might expect, such as:
3. Older Adults Are at Higher Risk for Concussions, and Preventive Measures Should Be Encouraged More.
We tend to think about head injuries as they relate to youth sports and professional athletes, but older adults also face high risks of concussion, often simply from falling. Harvard Medical School reported that head injuries from falling are a common cause of hospitalization and even death among individuals over age 65. And the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that, from data collected as recently as 2014, a full four in five TBI-related emergency department visits in older adults (aged 65 years and older) were the result of falls. In addition, hospitalization rates stemming from TBI-related emergency room visits were highest among persons 75 years of age and older.
Helping Seniors Prevent Falls and ConcussionsMAC Alliance encourages seniors and their families to take all possible steps to avoid potential concussion-related falls in their households. Why not honor Brain Injury Awareness Month at home by taking a moment to make senior spaces a little safer? Proactive steps can include:
5. Screen Time Impacts Concussion Recovery.
In October of last year, we reported on new research from the University of Massachusetts that supported reducing screen time for post-concussion patients to help reduce recovery times. The findings suggested that avoiding screen time in the first 48 hours of acute-concussion recovery may greatly shorten the duration of concussion symptoms. To allow for important cognitive brain rest following a concussion, Medical director and founder of Mid-Atlantic Concussion (MAC) Alliance, Vincent Schaller, MD, DABFM, CIC, prescribes reduced electronic screen time with little brain stimulation for all his post-TBI patients. Beyond stimulating the injured brain too much, screen use can hamper the initial concussion-recovery process in another way too. For instance, the rapid eye movement involved with watching continually-refreshing LED screen pixilation can cause eye muscle strain for someone who has just suffered a TBI. In addition, backlighting from most screens and the loud noise from some electronic devices may also cause other negative symptoms in post-concussive patients, such as headaches or nausea.
Learning More About the Brain and ConcussionsThe Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) provides detailed information on the complex parts of the brain and how each has its specific task, controlling how we walk, talk, eat and balance, make decisions, process information and more. If you’re interested in learning more about brain injuries, including about treatment, diagnosis and support for patients and families, visit www.biausa.org or call the organization at 1-800-444-6443.
Find a Concussion Diagnosis & Treatment Center in the Mid-Atlantic Region.There are many MAC Alliance Concussion Centers throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia—and we offer telemedicine in New York too. We provide traumatic brain injury assessment via today’s most comprehensive brain-testing tools, as well as rehabilitation therapy, treatment protocols and long-term care management. For your convenience, we offer both in-office and secure telemedicine options for treatment services.
Most of us never imagine that our lives could be impacted by a brain injury, but the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) reports that at least 3.6 million people sustain brain injury each year in the United States. Awareness is so important if we want to reduce the number of incidents and keep our brains healthy.To help increase awareness about brain injuries during Brain Injury Awareness Month, I wanted to share advice from my colleague, Dr. Vincent Schaller, a brain injury and concussion management specialist. Please read his informative blog post “Five Fast Facts About Concussions and Brain Health” below.
1. Concussions Happen More Often Than You Think.
According to the BIAA someone in this country will experience a brain injury every nine seconds. That’s a lot of cases! How this happen so often?
Sudden bumps or jolts can cause the brain to bounce back and forth in the skull, causing injuries of varying degrees. Concussions are TBIs that can cause functional changes in the way our brains work. Concussions most often occur as a result of blows to the head during:
- Sports and recreation activities
- Car accidents
- Slips and falls
- Military combat involving explosives
- Workplace accidents
2. Concussion Symptoms Aren’t Always Obvious.
When they happen, concussions may or may not present themselves in obvious ways. TBIs can cause the symptoms you might expect, such as:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Ringing in the ears
- Vision problems
- Sleep difficulties or irregularities
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Slower-than-normal reaction time
3. Older Adults Are at Higher Risk for Concussions, and Preventive Measures Should Be Encouraged More.
We tend to think about head injuries as they relate to youth sports and professional athletes, but older adults also face high risks of concussion, often simply from falling. Harvard Medical School reported that head injuries from falling are a common cause of hospitalization and even death among individuals over age 65. And the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that, from data collected as recently as 2014, a full four in five TBI-related emergency department visits in older adults (aged 65 years and older) were the result of falls. In addition, hospitalization rates stemming from TBI-related emergency room visits were highest among persons 75 years of age and older.
Helping Seniors Prevent Falls and ConcussionsMAC Alliance encourages seniors and their families to take all possible steps to avoid potential concussion-related falls in their households. Why not honor Brain Injury Awareness Month at home by taking a moment to make senior spaces a little safer? Proactive steps can include:
- Removing home hazards like throw rugs
- Lighting up living space to help avoid tripping
- Employing assistive devices (like handrails, grab bars, raised toilet seats)
- Regularly reviewing medications with a doctor
- Staying as active as possible
- Wearing sensible shoes
5. Screen Time Impacts Concussion Recovery.
In October of last year, we reported on new research from the University of Massachusetts that supported reducing screen time for post-concussion patients to help reduce recovery times. The findings suggested that avoiding screen time in the first 48 hours of acute-concussion recovery may greatly shorten the duration of concussion symptoms. To allow for important cognitive brain rest following a concussion, Medical director and founder of Mid-Atlantic Concussion (MAC) Alliance, Vincent Schaller, MD, DABFM, CIC, prescribes reduced electronic screen time with little brain stimulation for all his post-TBI patients. Beyond stimulating the injured brain too much, screen use can hamper the initial concussion-recovery process in another way too. For instance, the rapid eye movement involved with watching continually-refreshing LED screen pixilation can cause eye muscle strain for someone who has just suffered a TBI. In addition, backlighting from most screens and the loud noise from some electronic devices may also cause other negative symptoms in post-concussive patients, such as headaches or nausea.
Learning More About the Brain and ConcussionsThe Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) provides detailed information on the complex parts of the brain and how each has its specific task, controlling how we walk, talk, eat and balance, make decisions, process information and more. If you’re interested in learning more about brain injuries, including about treatment, diagnosis and support for patients and families, visit www.biausa.org or call the organization at 1-800-444-6443.
Find a Concussion Diagnosis & Treatment Center in the Mid-Atlantic Region.There are many MAC Alliance Concussion Centers throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia—and we offer telemedicine in New York too. We provide traumatic brain injury assessment via today’s most comprehensive brain-testing tools, as well as rehabilitation therapy, treatment protocols and long-term care management. For your convenience, we offer both in-office and secure telemedicine options for treatment services.
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