“Hardships often prepare ordinary people, for an extraordinary journey.”
What are the varying degrees of severity when it comes to TBI?
Brain injuries are classified into three separate categories: mild, moderate and severe. Medical professionals have different methods to help determine the severity of brain injury. One way they determine the severity of the injury is by determining the length of time in a coma and/or post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). Mild traumatic brain injuries usually have a coma or PTA that lasts less than one hour. A moderate TBI can keep an individual in a coma or PTA between one and 24 hours, and a severe TBI is a coma or PTA that lasts longer than 24 hours. Another way to determine the severity of a TBI is by using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
How to prevent TBI
While sometimes a TBI cannot be avoided, you can take steps to help prevent these types of injuries. Here are some ways that can help you in avoiding a TBI:
Always wear a seat belt in a motor vehicle
Use an appropriate child safety seat or a booster
Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Always wear a helmet when on a bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, snowmobile and other open/unrestrained vehicles
Wear a helmet when participating in contact sports
Wear a helmet when horseback riding
Wear a helmet while skiing, snowboarding, skating and skateboarding
Fall Prevention Methods
Use the rails on stairways
Provide adequate lighting, especially on stairs for people with poor vision or who have difficulty walking
Place bars on windows to prevent children from falling
Sit on safe stools
Do not place obstacles in walking pathways
Keep guns locked in a cabinet
Store guns unloaded
Store ammunition apart from guns
Gun Safety
Also, the Brain Injury Association of Illinois has some great fact sheets on brain injuries which can be found here.