Common Symptoms of Brain Trauma
How to know when it's serious and when to contact a personal injury attorney
Symptoms of brain trauma often have no specific timeline; they can show up hours, days or even weeks after an accident has occurred. This makes brain-related injuries difficult to diagnose right away and increases the potential for the damage to worsen.
While there are different types of traumatic brain injuries and they vary greatly in their severity, we've compiled some of the most common symptoms of mild to moderate brain trauma to help you make treatment or settlement decisions.
Cognitive Symptoms
Cognitive symptoms of brain trauma affect the brain's ability to recall or retain knowledge as well as perceive the world around you. Individuals with brain trauma often exhibit symptoms dealing directly with brain function. These symptoms include:
- Trouble concentrating or focusing on a task
- Memory trouble
- Mood swings, feelings of depression or heightened anxiety
- Difficulty following directions or retaining information
- Heightened states of confusion or impulsiveness
- Difficulty communicating or decision making
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms are manifested through the physical body, making them easier to recognize than other symptoms. Since the brain manages the body, symptoms of a head injury can easily show up in areas outside the physical brain itself such as blood pressure, hormones, or digestion. Symptoms of this sort can range from mild, like fatigue, or more serious, such as seizures. Other symptoms consist of the following:
- Chronic pain and frequent headaches
- Irregular sleep patterns or drowsiness
- Frequent nausea or vomiting
- Disorientation or loss of consciousness
- Weakness in certain areas
- Uncontrollable body movements
- Menstrual irregularities
- Changes in appetite or body temperature
Sensory Symptoms
Sensory symptoms are physical symptoms that directly inhibit the body's five senses—hearing, smelling, seeing, tasting or feeling—from carrying out their normal duties. While these symptoms are generally mild, they may worsen over time without proper treatment. They include:
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Partial vision loss, blurry vision or total vision loss
- Inability to judge distances
- Hearing loss or ringing in the ears
- Trouble with hand-eye coordination
- Bitter taste in mouth
- Consistent foul odors or loss of smell
- Tingling skin or the inability to physically feel objects
Children's Symptoms
Children, especially infants, experience brain trauma differently than adults, and it can show itself through symptoms that are unique to individuals of a younger age. The danger increases if the child isn't able to communicate these symptoms to adults. Things to look for in children who may have experienced brain trauma are:
- Unusual irritability, mood swings or persistent sadness
- Poor motor coordination and balance
- Difficulty speaking or remembering
- Inability to pay attention
- Change in eating habits
- Muscle spasms
- Noticeable changes in sleep pattern
If you feel that either you or your child has experienced any sort of brain trauma, it's important to seek medical attention as quickly as possible to avoid increasing the severity of the injury.
For more information on personal injury claims or to make a claim of your own, contact us by email, call us at (800) 637-7024, or drop by one of our locations across the state of Tennessee.
