We all know that full-contact sports like football can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI), but we’re just beginning to learn is that nearly 400,000 military service members have been affected by TBI since the attacks in the U.S. on 9/11 in 2001. Those most prevalent cases include those who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where service members have been exposed to concussions from mortars, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other explosives.
“They say that every war, the [Department of Veterans Affairs] and the military, have an ‘aha’ moment on what they need to address, in terms of their health care,” said former U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy while speaking at a recent Brain Futures conference. “Clearly brain health issues are the issues of this recent war.”1
As wide-spread as this affliction can be, scientist and medical experts are still trying to understand and learn about the long-term effects of concussions that lead to TBI.
20 Signs & Symptoms of TBIs
It’s often hard to treat or even know if someone has had a concussive blow to the head causing permanent brain damage. If you suspect someone has had a traumatic impact to their heads, it is important to get them to a physician or emergency room as soon as possible. The following is a list of symptoms and signs to look for that may tip you off that someone has experienced a brain injury:
- Spinal fluid leaking from ears or nose (thin watery looking fluid)
- Individual losses consciousness
- Dilated eyes (pupils appear large and black, and don’t get smaller when shinning a flashlight into them) or unequal pupil sizes
- Change in vision – such as blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to bright lights, blindness, inability to move eyes
- Vertigo, dizziness, loss of balance
- Respiratory problems, failure to breath, slow breathing
- Coma or semi-comatose
- Paralysis – loss of feeling on part of the body
- Slow pulse
- Vomiting
- Lethargy – tired appearance, sluggishness
- Confusion
- Headache
- Ringing in the ears
- Not thinking straight, appearance of being impaired
- Strange emotional responses
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty swallowing
- Numb body or tingling
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
(Source: Brain Injury Association of America)
Don’t take this information as gospel or a substitute for a physical examination. If you or someone you know has encountered a blunt force impact to the head, get it checked out by a trained physician or at an emergency room as soon as possible. Even mild brain injuries should be treated and diagnosed.
Contact a New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney at Greenberg & Walden, LLC
Have you or a loved one suffered a concussion or possible brain injury, because of the negligence of another party? If so, don’t bear the burden of paying all the medical expenses and other treatment need yourself. You should speak with a New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney at Greenberg & Walden, LLC. for experienced help and pursuing justice and the compensation you may be entitled to under the law.
To learn more how Greenberg & Walden, LLC can help you, call us at (201) 528-6928 or email our firm using the contact form on this page to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our lawyers.
