Brain injuries may be mild or severe, fatal or debilitating, and may affect only one area or the entire organ. According to the Brain Injury Association of Utah, the two major types of brain injuries are traumatic, which are caused by physical trauma; and acquired, which are typically disease oriented. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) include concussion, contusion, coup-contrecoup, diffuse axonal and penetration; acquired brain injury types include anoxia and hypoxic brain injury.
Concussion
A concussion is commonly caused by a direct blow to the head, including gunshots, shaking and whiplash injuries. This is the most common type of brain injury, according to the Brain Injury Association of Utah, and may or may not cause the patient to lose consciousness. The possibility of blood clots forming in the brain after a concussion is a cause for concern, as they can be fatal.
Contusion
This type of TBI is a result of a direct blow to the head, and essentially means a bruise has formed on the brain. Surgical removal may be necessary.
Coup-Contrecoup
This type of TBI is defined as a contusion where the impact happened, as well as on the opposite side of the brain---often due to such a severe blow that the brain forcefully hits the other side of the skull and begins bleeding.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
A DAI is caused by strong shaking or rotation of the head (i.e. shaken baby syndrome). The actual movement of the head is much faster than the brain, causing tissues and nerves to tear. This type of TBI can cause a coma, permanent and widespread brain damage, and even death.
Penetration
Just as it sounds, a penetration injury is a type of TBI that results from a knife, bullet or other foreign object penetrates the brain. This also causes foreign substances to be forced into the brain according to the Brain Injury Association of Utah, and some penetrating injuries can be caused by a ricocheting object that makes the injury much worse.
Anoxia
Anoxia occurs when oxygen does not get to the brain and cells begin to die. Sub-types of anoxia include anoxic anoxia, anemic anoxia and toxic anoxia. Anoxic anoxia happens when oxygen ceases to be supplied to the brain; anemic anoxia happens when the oxygen shortage occurs because the blood is not carrying enough of the much-needed oxygen; toxic anoxia occurs when toxins or other substances block the oxygen in the blood from being used by the brain.
Hypoxia
A hypoxic brain injury occurs when simply not enough oxygen reaches the brain tissues to function properly. Hypoxic ischemic brain injury, also known as stagnant hypoxia or ischemic insult, occurs when oxygen supply to the brain is reduced because of reduced blood flow or pressure.
