What Are the Symptoms of a TBI?

You can sustain a traumatic brain injury if you experience a sudden blow or jolt to your head. This type of injury is common, and many people suffer a TBI after getting into a car accident, falling or playing contact sports.

According to the Brain Trauma Foundation, approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. sustain a brain injury every year. These injuries can present a range of cognitive, physical and emotional symptoms following the initial trauma to the head.

Cognitive

After you sustain a TBI, it may feel like everything around you moves slower than usual. Other cognitive symptoms can include difficulties thinking clearly, problems remembering things and issues retaining new information.

Physical

You may have a headache and fuzzy, blurred vision after you sustain a brain injury. Some of the other physical symptoms you could experience include nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light and noise and feeling more tired than usual.

Emotional

Some of the emotional symptoms you may have after a brain injury include feeling abnormally sad or irritable. You may also feel like you are generally more emotional and experience feelings of nervousness or anxiety.

The cognitive, physical and emotional symptoms you experience after sustaining a TBI in an accident can vary greatly in their severity. Although some symptoms may appear immediately after the accident, you may not notice others until days, weeks or even months later. See a doctor right away if you have a headache that does not go away, you have a hard time staying awake or you experience a seizure.