A Resource For Your Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex injury with a broad spectrum of symptoms and disabilities. The impact on a person and his or her family can be devastating.  Too often, legal websites provide browsers with a bit of information and then urge prospective clients to contact them.  While we are always happy to talk to you about your case, we want this site to be an information resource for people who have had the unfortunate experience of living with a TBI.

A TBI can occur as a result of any event that causes the brain to move back and forth in the skull.  When we think of “brain damage” we naturally think of blunt force trauma to the skull resulting in a fracture and/or a brain bleed.  However, a TBI can occur even if there is no actual blunt force trauma to the skull.  Consider the Shaken Baby Syndrome.  A baby can be suffer a serious brain injury merely by being shaken.

Keeping that concept in mind, consider acceleration and deceleration forces in a car accident.  Many people suffer TBI’s in car accidents despite the fact that they never hit their head on anything during the accident itself.  This is called a “coup contrecoup injury.”  This term describes the movement of the brain in the skull in an acceleration/deceleration accident most commonly experienced in automobile accidents, sports injuries, blast injuries and falls. 

While we all appreciate that our skulls are quite hard, the brain is made of tissues with the consistency of firm pudding.  So even in incidents where there is no outward signs of damage to the skull, this does not mean that the brain was not injured.        

Symptoms from a TBI vary significantly from person to person.  However, most commonly, TBI’s interfere with what is called “executive functioning” and can affect brain functions potentially causing problems with:

- Judgment;
- Memory, both short and long term;
- Concentration;
- Place and time orientation;
- Insight;
- Safety awareness;
- Energy (lethargy); and
- General orientation.

This is a very general list.  More specific problems can be difficulty with word finding, emotional problems, difficulty with social interactions, dizziness, vertigo, difficulty multi-tasking, and unfortunately, many others. 

If you have experienced any of these problems and do not feel that you have received adequate medical care, please follow up with your primary care physician or contact the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin for a possible referral.

We hope that the information and articles here on our site will be of help to you.  We understand how debilitating and disruptive a TBI can be. 
 

Blog for Traumatic Brain Injuries

• Accuracy of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis
• Imaging Studies for Traumatic Brain Injuries
• March 17, 2010 Is Brain Injury Awareness Day
• What Is Wisconsin Doing About Head Injuries Suffered By High School Athletes
• U.S. Military fails to adequately screen vetrans for TBI
• Diffuse Axonal Injuries
• Do you have to lose consciousness in an accident to sustain a serious brain injury?

Library for Traumatic Brain Injuries:

• Imaging Studies for Traumatic Brain Injuries   
  Description: Medical providers now have a wide array of imaging tools at their disposal when it comes to diagnosing and treating Traumatic Brain Injuries. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the different types of imaging studies now available.
• What is a diffuse axonal injury?   
  Description: Unlike brain trauma that occurs due to direct impact and deformation of the brain, a diffuse axonal injury is the result of traumatic shearing forces that occur when the head is rapidly accelerated or decelerated, as may occur in auto accidents, falls, and assaults. It usually results from rotational forces or severe deceleration. Vehicle accidents are the most frequent cause of DAI; it can also occur as the result of child abuse such as in shaken baby syndrome.
• Do you have to lose consciousness in an accident to sustain a serious brain injury?   
  Description: It is often claimed that you have to have lost consciousness in an accident to have sustained a serious brain injury. This is simply not true. It is now almost universally recognized that one does not have to lose consciousness to have sustained a serious brain injury.

View All

Frequent Questions for Traumatic Brain Injuries:

• What is a diffuse axonal injury?
• What is an open head injury?
• What is a closed head injury?
• What is a concussion?
• What are some of the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?
• What is a traumatic brain injury?
  

Web Resources for Traumatic Brain Injuries:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Traumatic Brain Injuries

  Description: Fact sheet with tips for preventing brain injuries from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

• BrainLine

  Description:

  BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury.

• International Brain Injury Association

  Description:

  The International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) is dedicated to the development and support of multidisciplinary medical and clinical professionals, advocates, policy makers, consumers and others who work to improve outcomes and opportunities for persons with brain injury.

• Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin

  Description:

  The Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin (BIAW) is a nonprofit, 501 (c) 3 organization committed to serving individuals with an acquired brain injury and their families.The association was formed in 1980 by a group of individuals with brain injury, their family members, friends and professionals in response to the lack of available services specific to the unique needs of individuals with brain injury.BIAW is a chartered member affiliate of the national Brain Injury Association, Inc.  BIAW provides services in these 5 core areas - advocacy, education, information and resources, prevention and support services.

View All