Subtle Signs of A Traumatic Brain Injury

The time after a car accident can feel like a long process of getting put back together. While some injuries get better quickly, others may progressively get worse.

Brain injuries can be challenging to diagnose fully. The brain is a complex organ, and some injuries may not be obvious immediately after an accident. Even for those who walk away from a car accident, a brain injury could develop days after the accident and have devastating effects.

Here’s what you should watch for if you injured your head in a car accident.

Subtle Does Not Mean Unimportant

For some, a brain injury can go from a mild headache on the day of the crash to severe pain in the days or weeks afterward. After a car accident, it is important to watch for symptoms, such as:

• Loss of balance

• Change in sleep patterns

• Difficulty maintaining balance

• Fatigue

• Difficulty processing information

• Change in reaction times

• Sensitivity to light or sound

Often, accident victims dismiss these subtle symptoms or wait for them to go away. Even if these symptoms get better over time, they can still indicate that you have a brain injury and need further treatment.

How Bad Can It Get?

Time is critical when it comes to brain injuries. The sooner you have a diagnosis, the more treatment options you will have available to you, such as:

• Physical therapy

• Surgery

• Occupational therapy

When a brain injury goes untreated, it can lead to more severe symptoms and long-term brain damage and loss of function in some areas of the body. In some cases, a traumatic brain injury could have correlations to dementia and other neurological disorders.