Thiel: Repercussions of concussions

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an injury that can have little to far reaching complications.

It is estimated that in 2006, 46,000 children in the U.S. were taken to the hospital as a result of traumatic brain injuries.

Each year, in the US, its estimated 1.7 million adults will sustain a TBI.

It occurs when an external force or blow is sustained to the skull.

It may be a single episode or a cumulative result of several. It can happen at the playground, contact sports, motor vehicle collision of both low and high velocity and abrupt acceleration and deceleration type injury to the head.

It is a major cause of death and disability worldwide.

Symptoms can include headache, vomiting, nausea, lack of motor coordination, dizziness, difficulty balancing, light-headedness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, and changes in sleep patterns.

Cognitive and emotional symptoms include behavioural or mood changes, confusion, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking abnormalities.

At present, I have 11 patients in my clinic who suffer from TBI; six from motor vehicle collisions, three from falls on the ice and two from snowboarding.

Dr. Mark Gordon, a U.S. interventional endocrinologist, is seen as one of the world experts on traumatic brain injury.

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Thiel: Repercussions of concussions