From College of the Redwoods
Disability News- Head Injury
By Trish Blair
Apr 27, 2009, 09:15
DISABILITY NEWS
April 27, 2009
NOTHING TO IGNORE
The recent death of actress Natashia Richardson has once again focused our attention on how seemingly minor sports injuries can result in devastating damage. To understand how a relatively minor bump to the head can result in death requires us to understand some things about the brain.
The first thing to consider is that the average newborn has more brain cells than an adult. We are born with all the brain cells we are ever going to get. As brain cells are killed, they do not reproduce themselves. In fact, as we age, our brains actually shrink in size. While our brains are shrinking in size, our skulls never change. As a result what happens as our brains shrink with age is that it pulls away from the skill and a space begins to form between our brains and our skills. That space fills up with what is called CSF or Cerebrospinal Fluid. As the brain is shrinking and moving away from our skulls, the blood vessels that come from the brain and extend up in to the skull become stretched. They become like rubber bands stretch as the brain shrinks until then finally snap, causing bleeding into the space between the brain and the skull. If the bleeding is minor, there may be several episodes that occur with little or no affect on the individual. However, with repeated episodes, a critical volume may be reached in that subdural space between the brain and the skull, resulting in the brain being compressed. At that point, some of the early symptoms can be noticed, including slurred speech and a wobbly gait.
The signs and symptoms of this damage can show up within the first 24 hours after suffering the injury, or can be delayed as much as 2 weeks. Signs and symptoms of a subdural hematoma can include any of the following alone or in combination:
Recent head injury
Loss of consciousness
Irritability
Seizures
Headache pain
Numbness
Dizziness
Disorientation
Amnesia
Weakness and lethargy
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Personality Changes
Blurred vision
Difficulty walking
Subdural hematomas are divided into two primary types:
Acute
The acute bleeds develop after high velocity acceleration or deceleration injuries and have a high mortality rate. Death can be rapid if the condition is not treated quickly to alleviate the pressure that the collection of blood is putting on the brain. The mortality rate associated with acute subdural hematoma is around 60 to 80%.
Chronic
Chronic bleeds develop over a period of days or weeks. They often occur after minor head trauma, however in at least 50% of sufferers, a specific injury cannot be identified. The bleeding from a chronic subdural hematoma is slow, probably from repeated minor bleeds, and usually stops by itself. These bleeds progress slowly, and therefore offer a chance to be stopped prior to causing significant damage. These types of bleeds tend to be more common in the elderly, due to falls.
The most common cause of a subdural hematoma is a sever brain injury after a care accident or a fall from a great height. The use of blood thinners have also been known to cause them, as has long term alcohol abuse.
The recent increase in the use of helmets for such sports as cycling and skiing, has somewhat reduced the number of incidents of subdural hematomas, however the accuracy of these studies tend to be questionable. Either way, the more one can reduce the impact to the head, the less likely a head injury will occur.
Quotation of the Week
"Death is always and under all circumstances a tragedy, for if it is not, then it means that life itself has become one."
Theodore Roosevelt
Comments? Trish-blair@redwoods.edu
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