Forces of Traumatic Brain Injury
Brain Injuries often occur fast (in milliseconds) to small places in the brain (microscopic cells). Speed and size require specific understanding in relation to forces. This must be important to all of us since just a moment of inattention can result in significant forces being imposed on our heads. Think of the truck or car crash you did not see coming. Or the fall you took. The resulting impacts can change our brains and cause a whole constellation of symptoms and consequences.
Biomechanical forces (the research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms and the application of engineering principles to and from biological systems) to the head and body are predictors of brain injury. In cases of trauma, like car, motorcycle and truck collisions, in addition to sports trauma, like hockey, football and boxing (to name a few), the amount of pressure exerted on the head and the amount of time that elapses during the application of pressure, cause microscopic changes to the structure of the brain. Microscopic because the damage occurs at the cellular level with axons and dendrites shearing.
This, in turn, causes metabolic changes (biochemical processes) and other changes in chemistry that result in cognitive impairments, emotional impairments and physical impairments.
Head injury expert Kim Gorgens, a neuropsychologist at the University of Denver (DU), says that most concussions deliver 95 g's to the human body upon impact.
Concussions range in significance from minor to major, but they all share one common factor — they temporarily interfere with the way your brain works. They can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination.
Usually caused by a blow to the head, concussions don't always involve a loss of consciousness. In fact, most people who have concussions never black out. Some people have had concussions and not even realized it.
Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport such as football. But every concussion, no matter how mild, injures your brain. This injury needs time and rest to heal properly. Luckily, most concussions are mild and people usually recover fully.
G-force is a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity. In addition, the average football player receives 103 g's when hit during a game. In comparison, the average g-force experienced by military fighter pilots is nine g's.
Let that sink in for perspective.
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the measure the loss of brain function in a child. In adults there are prior academic records, I.Q. scores, and job histories to rely on. At one time it was assumed that children were more resistant to brain trauma than adults because their developing brains could rewire over time. However, mounting evidence seems to suggest otherwise. In fact, it may be that children are more susceptible than adults to permanent brain damage even when the forces involved are equivalent.
