A traumatic brain injury can occur to anyone. While studies that talk about the long-term effects of such an injury may focus on professional athletes and members of the military, the reality is that you could be at risk for the lasting impacts of a TBI you suffer from a fall or an accident.
Forbes explains one of the biggest issues with understanding the lasting effects of a brain injury is the variance in injuries from person to person. TBI can be mild or severe. It could have a significant recovery time for you or you could have a fast recovery. The long-term effects are not always relative to the initial injury. A lot depends on where in the brain the injury happened.
Lasting effects
A TBI of any nature can leave you with long-term side effects, such as reoccurring headaches or trouble thinking. You could end up having seizures or develop a blood clot. Some brain injuries result in lasting mental or physical impairments. The estimate is that 15% of people who have a TBI will have lasting effects that have a significant impact on their lives.
The impact
The long-term effects of TBIs can impact more than just you. You could find it difficult to work. You may have to use government benefit programs to assist you financially or with medical costs. If you are unaware of the alterations a brain injury caused, you may struggle to keep a job or relationships and not understand why, which can then lead to further issues in your life that impact others. The effects are far-reaching and impact everyone in society and on the economy.
