March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of the impact of brain injuries on individuals and their families. The month aims to remove the stigma around brain injuries and recognise their significant physical, cognitive and emotional consequences.
Here at Uplands Rehabilitation Centre (URC), we offer rehabilitation programmes for a range of injuries, including neurological. The types of brain injuries a person can sustain vary greatly and the number of people seeking treatment for these injuries is high in the UK:
- According to statistics from the Medical Research Council (MRC), each year around 900,000 people attend hospital with a head injury in the UK
- Of those who attend hospital with a head injury, around 160,000 people are admitted to hospital
- Around 1.3 million people in the UK are living with a disability caused by an acquired brain injury (ABI)
- In its updated hospital admission statistics, Headway revealed every 90 seconds in the UK, someone is admitted into hospital with an ABI and every four minutes someone is admitted with a stroke
Different Types of Brain Injuries
There are several different types of brain injuries. Some of the most common types are:
- Concussion – A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a blow to the head or a sudden jolt or shake. Symptoms of a concussion can include headaches, dizziness, confusion and memory problems
- Stroke – Strokes occur when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. This can be due to something like a clot or a burst blood vessel and can lead to the affected part of the brain becoming damaged. Symptoms of a stroke can include paralysis, difficulty speaking and loss of vision
- Contusion – A bruise on the brain which is caused by a direct impact to the head. Symptoms of a contusion can include headaches, dizziness and seizures. These can be quite common in children and are sometimes considered more serious than a concussion due to the structural damage they cause to blood vessels
- Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) – This is a severe TBI caused by the brain being damaged by rapid rotation or shakes. When this happens, the connecting nerve fibres in the brain can become torn. It can happen as a result of being involved in a car accident and symptoms include coma, seizures and paralysis.
- Anoxic brain injury – An anoxic brain injury is an ABI caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, which can happen due to drowning, suffocation, or cardiac arrest. Symptoms of an anoxic brain injury can include seizures, coma and memory problems
At Uplands, we are able to help with a range of brain injuries. Our neurorehabilitation package uses SMART goals, individually tailored to ensure each person has the right care for them.
For more information on the conditions we treat at Uplands and services we offer, or to book an appointment with us, visit our website: https://uplandscare.co.uk/contact/contact-us, call us on 01702 352752 or email us at info@uplandsrehabilitation.uk