Brain injury might arise from having one’s head striking something during a car accident or some other incident involving blunt force trauma to the head, such as falls. Brain injuries may carry with it long lasting effects on a person and if it is of a certain severity, may prove to be fatal. Thus, if someone you know has recently experienced a blow to the head, watch for the following signs that may indicate the occurrence of brain injury.
1) Impaired Cognitive Functions
Affecting the thinking process, the victim might have trouble processing information or expressing himself. They would find it difficult to understand what others are saying, learn new things, perform calculations and even may have difficulty focusing their attention. Their memory would also likely be affected, manifesting as memory loss or difficulty retaining information.
2) Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms that indicate brain damage can be diverse as the development of persistent headaches, mental-physical fatigue, sensitivity to light, paralysis, seizures, and impairment of motor control (difficulties with movement).
3) Behavioral Alterations
Changes in behavior and emotional control are quite common after suffering brain injury. The victim might become unusually aggressive or destructive, suffer from depression, irritability, impulsivity, slowness of mind and a whole host of other possible changes. It may seem like they have become a completely different person. Problems with initiating basic tasks may also arise, requiring prompting in order to do basic tasks that an individual will do by himself, such as brushing one’s teeth and preparing to go to work.
4) Altered Perception
The victim’s senses would also be affected following brain injury, resulting in disorientation. Their vision may become blurred. Their sense of smell, taste and touch may also be disrupted from normal levels of functioning and they may also experience increased sensitivity to pain.
If any of these symptoms are observable following the head injury, it may be that the victim has suffered brain injury as well. It is best that the victim is guided to medical professionals specializing in diagnosing trauma-related injuries. The fine folks over at MD Diagnostic Specialists have such specialist doctors and more information, including contact information, can be had on their website www.mumdds.com.
