Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) Aren’t Just Getting Your Bell Rung

Brain injuries do not just happen on the football field or in car crashes. In fact, the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are falls, which can happen at home, work, the grocery store, or almost anywhere else. They also are not as simple as some people think. While a headache or dizziness may seem like obvious results of a blow to the head, these are only some of the many common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. Because the brain controls everything else in your body, brain injuries can have a multitude of effects on people.

Commonly Known Signs and Symptoms of TBIs

Some of the symptoms of traumatic brain injuries are well known. Headaches, blurry vision and dizziness are all logical results of head trauma. Similarly, it makes sense that if someone suffers a blow to the head, they may struggle to think clearly afterwards or that they may feel like they cannot think as quickly. However, the effects of a traumatic brain injury can be far more reaching than what is obvious.

Lesser-Known Signs and Symptoms of TBIs

There are many other signs and symptoms of brain injuries that are less known but are no less common in their occurrence. While it might be easy to understand how a brain injury could affect the way a person thinks, brain injuries can also affect how people feel emotionally. Since the brain controls our emotions and our ability to regulate them, brain injuries can change how a person feels and their ability to control those feelings. If someone is ornery, depressed, anxious, or otherwise acting differently after a brain injury, it is not just because they feel bad physically. Rather, damage to the brain from the injury can alter a person’s brain chemistry and make it more difficult for that person to regulate their emotions.

Brain injuries can even impact a person’s sleep habits. The brain may be trying to rest more to assist the healing process or the person may struggle to sleep because of discomfort or changes in brain function. Every person and every injury are different, but if you notice major changes in sleep behavior following a brain injury, the brain injury is the likely culprit.

It is also important to understand that these symptoms do not occur in a vacuum, but can influence and exacerbate one another. For example, following a brain injury a person may have difficulty retaining new information and forget things said in conversation only minutes prior. This can cause social anxiety that is worsened by the person’s decreased ability to regulate emotion.

To learn more about traumatic brain injury, visit:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Mayo Clinic
• National Institute of Health, MedlinePlus
• Brain Injury Association of America
• Brain Injury Association of North Carolina

What to do if you have had a brain injury?

If you have suffered a brain injury that was caused by the actions or negligence of another party, you may have a case for compensation. To know, you will need to speak with a traumatic brain injury attorney with the experience and resources necessary to conduct a fast but thorough investigation and take immediate action to hold that other party responsible. At Edwards Kirby, we seek to hold people responsible when they have wrongfully hurt another person and to fight for our clients just compensation so they can focus on their recovery. Clients and colleagues continually trust our team because:

• We’ve recovered hundreds of millions in compensation for our clients.
• Our lawyers are recognized among The Best Lawyers in America by U.S. News.
• We have the resources of a Big Law firm and provide the personal touch of a small practice.
• Our firm has secured record results, including the largest personal injury verdict and the largest personal injury settlement in North Carolina state history.