March is Brain Injury Month. For more information: www.biausa.org

Thanks to the Brain Injury Association website http://www.biausa.org for the following information: Check out their site for more information and resources.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

In recognition of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month and the Brain Injury Association’s ongoing commitment to sports and concussions, BIAA and its nationwide network of 44 Chartered State Affiliates is launching a year-long, nationwide education and advocacy campaign: “A concussion is a brain injury. Get the facts.” The campaign will launch in March with radio and print public service announcements, awareness proclamations and special events. A state advocacy effort to introduce legislation to train coaches and protect youth athletes will continue throughout the year along with ongoing nationwide education.
A concussion is a brain injury period. BIAA believes coaches of every school athletic team and every extracurricular athletic activity should be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injury, including concussions and second impact syndrome. BIAA also believes young athletes who appear t have sustained a concussion should have written authorization by a health care professional before returning to play.
A concussion is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Most concussions occur without a loss of consciousness and according to the CDC, a lack of proper diagnosis and management of concussion may result in a serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death. Signs and symptoms may be noticeable immediately, or it may take days or weeks before they are present.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United State each year. Of that estimate U.S. emergency departments treat approximately 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18.
To support year-long education and awareness efforts, click on the downloadable materials below to distribute throughout your community today! BIAA encourages the use and distribution of these materials throughout 2010.
To learn more about these initiatives or to learn more about awareness and advocacy events taking place in your state during the month of March and throughout the year, or to learn how you can get involved, contact your Chartered State Affiliate today! For more information on media materials contact the Brain Injury Association of America at 703.761.0750, ext. 622.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the U.S. each year. Concussions occur even if an athlete doesn’t lose consciousness and in fact, is the most common type of brain injury sustained in sports.
What is a traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from “mild,” i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to “severe,” i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.
How many people have TBI?
Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:
• 50,000 die;
• 235,000 are hospitalized; and
• 1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department.1
The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
What causes Traumatic Brain Injuries?
The leading causes of TBI are:
• Falls (28%);
• Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%);
• Struck by/against (19%); and
• Assaults (11%).1
Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.2
Who is at highest risk for TBI?
• Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI.1
• The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds.1
• Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI.3
• African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI.1
What are the costs of TBI?
Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 1995.4
What are the long-term consequences of TBI?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 3.17 Million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.5

According to one study, about 40% of those hospitalized with a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury. The most frequent unmet needs were:
• Improving memory and problem solving;
• Managing stress and emotional upsets;
• Controlling one’s temper; and
• Improving one’s job skills.6
TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and/or sensation. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.7,8

For more resources:

Guide to selecting legal representation for brain injury cases
https://secure.biausa.org/OnlineDirectory/Pdf/SelectingLegalRepresentation.pdf

A Guide to Selecting and Monitoring Brain Injury Rehabilitation Services
https://secure.biausa.org/OnlineDirectory/Pdf/SelectingRehabServices.pdf

Have a kind and respectful day.