The brain is the “control center” for all human activity, including thinking, sensing, judgment, emotions, as well as breathing and moving. Therefore injuries to your brain can have a significant impact on daily functioning. Symptoms can vary based on the location and severity of the injury. Long-lasting effects of TBI can be physical, cognitive, and behavioral and emotional:
Physical impacts – Depending on what part of the brain was injured, TBI can have varying degrees of impact on mobility and can cause spasticity (increased muscle tone that interferes with normal movement), hemiparesis or hemiplegia (weakness or paralysis impacting one side of the body more than another), ataxia (uncontrolled tremors), sensory impairment, fatigue and difficulties with speech.
Cognitive (thinking) impacts – Depending on what part of the brain was injured, TBI can cause problems with attention and focus, memory, language (for example, aphasia or organizing your thoughts and ideas), impairment in visual-perceptual skills, initiative-taking, problem-solving, and reduced perception and empathy.
Emotional / behavioral impacts – TBI can take an emotional and behavioral toll. Common changes seen in those with brain injury include: loss of inhibition, impulsiveness, irritability and/or aggression, obsession, apathy, and egocentricity.
Not all individuals present with physical symptoms. When this happens, TBI is often referred to as “the invisible injury” because no visible physical symptoms are obvious. Yet the language and cognitive effects of TBI can be intense.