Brain injury awareness week

Brain Injuries awareness week (14-20 March) is a campaign by Headway - the Brain injury association - dedicated to raising the awareness of the causes and effects of Brain injury.

Around 25% of all head injuries are serious enough to cause permanent brain damage and most of these are caused by road traffic accidents. All are cause by outside force to the skull, followed by complications, which can lead to permanent disability or even death.

Particularly worrying is that 20% of head injuries in children are from cycling. Since a Cyclist wearing a helmet is 85% less likely to sustain a head injury, it follows that most children still aren't waering helmest whilst riding a bike.

Even minor head injuries can cause damage to the brain. Resulting in a short period of unconciusness, it can lead to Nausea, Dizziness, memory problems and tiredness and, if not treated with respect, post concussion syndrome which may be followed by depression and anxiety. In the event of such a head injury, it is important that relatives and employers are warned about the possible effects of a minor head injury, and for plans to be made accordingly. These might include not rushing to return to work, keeping stress to a minimum in the short term, and abstaining from alcohol. One study showed that almost one third of people with a minor head injury were not working full-time three months after receiving the injury, although other studies have been much more optimistic. Difficulties are certainly made much worse if the person has a mentally demanding job where there is a low margin for error. The general conclusion seems to be that the vast majority of people who experience a minor head injury make a full recovery, usually after 3-4 months. However there is a very small sub-group whose recovery is not so good.

For more information on Brain injuries and Brain Injuries awareness week, go to www.headway.org