Severe trauma called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  or closed head injury occurs when our brain is damaged due to high impact with the skull.

Every year, at least 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States. Most of these are mild and include concussions. But many of these injuries are severe.

Important facts to know about brain injury:

• Who is most likely to suffer a TBI? Children ages 0 to 4 years, adolescents aged 15-19 years old and adults aged 65 and older.
• Who is most likely to die from TBI? Adults 75 and older.

What causes traumatic brain injuries?

• Falls, including slip and falls are a major source of traumatic brain injuries. Older adults are the most vulnerable to this situation whether they live in their own home or in a senior living arrangement. Falls are also common in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
• Automobile accidents, particularly when seat belts are not used. Adolescents in the back seat are the most likely victims of this scenario.
• Sports (both contact and non-contact). The biggest contributors to concussion are soccer and football. Football involves collision. Soccer typically doesn’t but the participants wear no protective headgear.
• Medical malpractice occurs when a patient does not receive adequate treatment and supervision in a medical setting, causing severe damage to the brain.

Victims of trauma to the head or brain may be eligible to seek monetary compensation for their damages if the accident was the result of negligence of another party.  This monetary compensation can help pay for medical expenses, loss of income or earning potential, and help to compensate for your pain and suffering.

It appears that a growing number of Michigan families and sports fans are all on the same page. Reportedly,  University of Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon lost his job (he resigned under pressure), not just because of the poor play of the Wolverines on the football field, but also because of the university’s mishandling of the clear on-field concussion of quarterback Shane Morris during a recent game.

Concussions are not just a football phenomenon. Ironically, girls are actually more susceptible to dangerous concussions than boys are, particularly in sports that involve both sexes.

For girls, the sports with the highest concussion rates are soccer, ice hockey, softball, lacrosse and basketball, as well as cheerleading. Of all of these, soccer has the highest number of American teen players and is therefore overrepresented in concussion statistics.

Girls’ soccer concussion facts:

• Girls, particularly younger girls, often fail to show symptoms of concussion and take a longer time to heal.
• Cognitive impairments from girls’ concussions typically last from 10 to 21 days. These impairments cause difficulty concentrating, headaches and memory issues.
• Heading the ball causes many girls’ concussions. Some advocates are encouraging children under 14 not to head the ball.
• Player collisions contribute to the other concussion incidents.
• Some leagues have required special helmets and headbands for soccer, but unless an entire league requires it, there can be peer pressure not to wear these protective devices.
• Second impact syndrome (double impact concussions) are particularly dangerous. These occur when there has been a previous (often undiagnosed) concussion and the child returns to the playing field too quickly and suffers a second brain injury before the first injury has fully healed.
• It is possible that moving to a larger soccer ball at age 12 or 13 has inadvertently exposed girls to more concussions. There is a small but growing movement to keep the smaller ball for longer in girls’ leagues. There is also a new Danish ball called the “Eir” ball that is softer and lighter.