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WHAT IS “MILD” TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (MTBI)?Our San Francisco Brain Injury Attorneys are Ready to Fight for You

Historically, words such as “mild”, “moderate” and “severe” were used to define brain injury. For many years, these terms were utilized based on duration of loss of consciousness. Today, it is universally accepted that brain injury can occur without loss of consciousness, direct external trauma to the head, or positive findings on CT, MRI, or other sophisticated diagnostic testing.

At the Scarlett Law Group, our San Francisco brain injury lawyers find it repugnant to utilize terms such as “mild” or “moderate” to describe a permanent brain injury. However, until the language of health care practitioners, experts, and others change, we are forced to use these terms to describe brain injury. We must, therefore, assist all people with the true meaning of the words “mild” and “moderate” as they pertain to brain injury.

The Definition of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

According to The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the Head Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine, mild traumatic brain injury is defined as when someone has had a traumatic disruption of brain function that includes one or more of the following conditions:

  • Any experience of loss of consciousness;
  • Memory for events immediately before or after the accident;
  • An altered mental state at the time of the accident (i.e., feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused); and
  • Focal neurological deficits that may or may not be transient; but where the severity of the injury does not exceed the following:
    • Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) not greater than 24 hours;
    • After thirty minutes, an initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13-15;
    • Loss of consciousness of approximately thirty minutes or less;

This definition includes:

  • The head being struck;
  • The head striking an object;
  • The brain undergoing an acceleration/ deceleration movement (i.e., whiplash) without direct external trauma to the head.

It excludes stroke, anoxia, tumor, encephalitis, etc.

Testing using computed tomography magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram or routine neurological evaluations may be normal. Due to the lack of medical emergency, or the realities of certain medical systems, some patients may not have the above factors medically documented in the acute stage. In such cases, it is appropriate to consider the symptoms when recognizing the possibility of a mild traumatic brain injury.

Symptoms Of A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Symptoms of brain injury may or may not persist in the long-term, for varying lengths of time, after a neurological accident. Patients with mild traumatic brain injury can show persistent emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physical symptoms, alone or in combination, which may produce a functional disability.

These symptoms generally fall into one of the following categories, and are additional evidence that a mild traumatic brain injury has occurred.

  • Physical symptoms of brain injury: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, sleep disturbance, quickness to fatigue, lethargy, or other sensory loss) that cannot be accounted for by peripheral injury or other causes
  • Cognitive deficits: involving attention, concentration, perception, memory, speech/language or executive functions) that cannot be completely accounted for by emotional state or other causes
  • Behavioral changes and/or alterations and degree of emotional responsivity: Irritability, quickness to anger, disinhibition, or emotional lability) that cannot be accounted for by a psychological reaction to physical or emotional stress or other causes.

What To Do If You Have Suffered a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

If you have recently been injured in an accident and are experiencing symptoms that may be consistent with mild traumatic brain injuries, see a doctor immediately for a diagnosis and treatment. Early treatment and documentation is critical to making sure you are receiving the proper treatment, and to help strengthen your claim for compensation.

If you or someone you know has been injured or suffered Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI, you need the assistance of a San Francisco brain injury lawyer. Call (415) 352-6264 today!

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