Brain injury - it can happen to anyone

It's by far the most frequent cause of death in children under 15, although the statistics are generally very high in the under-45 age group. On top of this there are a large number of strokes, which can also be accompanied by brain injury. It can happen to anyone, suddenly, out of a clear blue sky, changing the person's life forever.

What happens in the brain?

The human brain is the most complicated structure known to man. Via billions of nerve cells, it constantly receives signals from outside and from within, processes them, stores them, and passes them on. Nerve cells do not communicate in isolation but in a sort of conference call with thousands of other cells, whereby the participants change all the time in periods of seconds. In this way the brain controls our organs, our movements, our behavior, our thoughts and feelings - all simultaneously and completely automatically, without our assistance, and without us even being aware of it. The brain is our language and learning center with limitless storage capacity for experience, sensation, learning. And it's all interconnected, unlike in a computer, which stores data neatly side by side. The memory grows with ever new links, new information becomes old, and is assigned to the familiar. We notice this when a word suddenly reminds us of something we thought we had forgotten.

What is traumatic brain injury (TBI)?

Overview

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce was a top-ranked halfpipe rider and considered one of the top snowboarders coming into the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. However, while he was preparing to qualify for the United States Olympic team, he sustained a traumatic brain injury after hitting his head during a halfpipe training run.
Pearce sustained a catastrophic brain injury while training in the halfpipe at Park City, Utah. Although Pearce was wearing a helmet, it was not able to prevent his brain injury. However, the helmet was credited for saving his life.
The sides of halfpipes can rise up to 22 feet in the air with the riders flying higher than that because of the momentum that the riders attain. Pearce was completing a cab double cork (a twisting double back flip) when he caught his board on the edge of the halfpipe. He hit his head just above his eye and was knocked unconscious.
He was immediately transported to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury. He was initially treated in an intensive care unit and was listed in critical condition. Because of the brain’s capacity to heal, Pearce has been able to make steady progress and has recently been moved to a long term rehabilitation center.
What is traumatic brain injury (TBI)?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.5 million people suffer from TBI every year. Of those who suffer an acute TBI, 50,000 die and the rest suffer from long term disabilities.
Traumatic brain injury occurs when the brain has been injured. According to experts, no two brain injuries are alike meaning that the consequences of similar brain injuries may differ remarkably. Some individuals recover fully functional ability while others may need long term care.