One accident can completely change the course of your life, particularly if the accident causes injury to your brain. A traumatic brain injury results from violent blows to the head, often due to car accidents, slip and fall accidents or assault. Traumatic brain injuries can involve trauma to the outside of the skull or penetrating trauma.
Unfortunately, the signs of TBI do not always appear right away. Some symptoms do not appear until days or weeks after the initial injury.
Cognitive signs of TBI
Confusion is a sign of traumatic brain injury but can also be a symptom of post-traumatic stress after an accident. You may find it difficult to concentrate or focus n conversations, work or school-related tasks. Often, people feel dazed or undergo mood swings following the accident. Additionally, you could face sleep disturbances. If you find it difficult to sleep or sleep more than usual after an accident, it could indicate that you suffered head trauma.
After a traumatic brain injury, you do not always have full control of your emotions. You may feel more combative than usual or find it difficult to speak.
Physical signs of TBI
One of the first signs of a severe TBI is loss of consciousness. Loss of consciousness can persist from minutes to hours. While awake, you might experience a persistent headache that only worsens over time. Your brain controls your coordination; when you suffer an injury, you may become more clumsy or unable to perform tasks requiring basic coordination.
Often, more severe TBIs have symptoms within the first few hours or days of the injury.