Traumatic head injuries are one of the most common causes of brain injuries. According to the Family Doctor website, serious head and brain injuries are most likely to occur in a person who has been in a motor vehicle accident, especially if he was not wearing a seatbelt. Other common causes of head and brain injuries include the following: bicycle and motorcycle crashes, falls from high places, and falls around the house, especially in the shower or bath tub.
Concussion
Concussions are a common cause of brain injuries. According to the Mayo Clinic website, although the severity of concussions range from minor to major, all concussions temporarily affect the way a person's brain works, interfering with memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination. Concussions typically are caused by a blow to the head, and not everybody who sustains a concussion loses consciousness. The majority of people who experience a concussion remain conscious, and some people may not even realize they have suffered a concussion. Concussions are an especially common brain injury in athletes, particularly athletes that play contact sports such as football, hockey or rugby. While most concussions are mild, a person with a concussion must avoid further head trauma so that her concussion-associated brain injuries can heal sufficiently.
Brain Contusion
Brain contusions are a relatively common brain injury. The Brain and Spinal Cord website—an online resource and information center for brain and spinal cord injury survivors—states that, in its simplest terms, a brain contusion is a bruise of the brain tissue, and that, just like contusions that occur elsewhere in the body, brain contusions involve capillary or small blood vessel leaks. The Brain and Spinal Cord website notes that because brain contusions involve structural brain damage, the likelihood of complications is greater than concussions. Like concussions, however, brain contusions typically are caused by head trauma, such as that sustained during a motor vehicle accident or while playing contact sports. In some instances, the brain injury is located directly below the impact site, while in other instances, the brain injury occurs on the opposite side of impact, as the brain rebounds off the skull during the initial impact.
Skull Fracture
Skull fractures are a relatively common cause of brain injuries. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, skull fractures involve a fracture or break in the cranial or skull bones, and skull fractures often accompany head injuries. Despite the skull's toughness and resiliency, and despite the fact that it's usually effective at guarding the brain from injury, significant blunt force trauma can cause a skull fracture. There are several ways that the brain can be injured following a skull fracture. The brain can be affected directly by nervous system damage and bleeding in the brain or it can be affected indirectly by blood clot formation—called a subdural or epidural hematoma, depending on its location—under the skull that compresses the nearby brain tissue. The NIH lists the following as possible skull fracture-related symptoms: bruising behind the ears, confusion, convulsions, headache, slurred speech and vomiting, among many others.
