Traumatic Brain Disorder
How often is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI being missed? It’s a crucial question and one that relates closely to auto accidents and motor vehicle collisions. Here at Warwick Chiropractic & Massage in Lacey, we are keen for you to understand this condition as it is vital to your well being if you’ve been in an auto accident.
Unfortunately, it seems to be missed quite frequently, as more obvious injuries are focused on such as the neck or an injury to a limb. Several studies have been made on this, and one indicated that doctors were likely to miss a traumatic brain injury with patients who had suffered an injury elsewhere on their body. Out of 251 patients, only 8.8% were diagnosed with TBI compared to 23.5% who were eventually diagnosed at a later date. This is a critical factor and doctors must be more aware when treating patients at the time.
Assessing TBI is trickier as one study highlighted this in subsequent problems of sports related concussion. The measures were useful in diagnosis, but not so good in determining how bad the injury actually is.
A big factor in this is the not knowing much about the condition in relation to parents, coaches, the athlete themselves, and even doctors. A Canadian survey looking at these groups, it was determined that a better knowledge of the concussion was determined by knowing the previous state and history of concussion. Aspects that had influence on this knowledge were age, education, TBI history and even language and household income. All played a part in this knowledge.
Under reporting of concussion is also a big problem. In sport for example, females tended to have a better rate of reporting concussion than males.
Traumatic Brain Injury sees about 1.7 million cases per year, and as many as 5.3 million have problems caused by it. The costs of dealing with traumatic brain disorder vary between late forty and mid fifty billion dollar mark a year. Over 2600 brain disorder deaths for children under the age of 14 are seen each year with over 36,000 hospitalized. Finally auto accidents account for between 50% and 70% of traumatic brain disorder.
These are harrowing statistics and certainly shows that it is vital for anyone suffering an injury to the head to be checked out as soon as possible.
If you have been involved in an auto accident, please get in to see us at Warwick Chiropractic & Massage to make sure you are alright. Call us 360 951 4504 to schedule an appointment, or just come in, we accept walk ins too.
