About Brain Injury

There are nearly a million traumatic brain injuries a year in the UK in addition to those from natural causes. Fortunately most people make a full recovery but a substantial minority remain severely disabled. Many of these are young people under 30 years of age.

A brain injury can happen to anyone at any time in their life.
We offer our services to people who have a non-degenerative
brain injury which could be one of the following:

Traumatic head injury:
If the head receives a severe blow or jolt, for example in an accident, fall or assault, the brain can be damaged. This is called a traumatic brain injury, and is the most common type of acquired brain injury.
Link to national organisation for information about brain injury,
Headway - the brain injury association: www.headway.org.uk

Stroke (CVA):
Stroke accounts for 30% of head injuries referred to our service. A stroke happens when the supply of blood to an area of brain tissue is interrupted, for example, by a blood clot or a bleed. When starved of oxygen, the affected brain cells start to die and a brain iinjury occurs.
Link to The Stroke Association: www.stroke.org.uk

Cerebral Anoxia:
There are many possible causes of hypoxic/anoxic brain injury. The most common cause is heart attack. In this case oxygen-carrying blood is not pumped to the brain for a number of seconds or minutes. Other causes include a lack of sufficient oxygen in the air, such as at high altitudes, suicide attempts, near-drowning, electrocution and drug overdose. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes a hypoxic/anoxic brain injury by preventing the blood from carrying oxygen. Faulty boilers and fires often produce carbon monoxide, so these should be serviced regularly.

Haemorrhage:
A brain haemorrhage is bleeding in or around the brain. It may be caused by a traumatic brain injury (TBI), or may happen spontaneously. There are four types of haemorrhage, named according to where in the brain the bleeding occurs. These are: subdural haemorrhage, extradural haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage and intracerebral haemorrhage.
Link to BASIC Brain and Spinal Injury Charity: www.basiccharity.org.uk

Aneurysm:
Where the wall of an artery or blood vessel is weakened, it may swell in a blister-like shape and form what is known as an aneurysm. As aneurysms grow, symptoms can occur as they put pressure on the surrounding tissue. Sometimes, however, no symptoms will occur. An aneurysm can rupture at any time, causing serious bleeding into the surrounding tissue and damaging the brain. This is called a haemorrhage.

Encephalitis:
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain.
In the UK, the cause in over 50% of cases is unknown, despite extensive testing. Where the cause is identified, it is most likely to be the Herpes-Simplex virus, but there are a number of other viruses or bacteria that can cause encephalitis.
In many cases, people will make a good recovery from encephalitis, but nerve cells in the brain may be damaged. This can lead to long-term effects, which are sometimes severe.
Link to the Encephalitis Society: www.encephalitis.info

Brain tumour:
A brain tumour is an abnormal mass of tissue inside the skull, which is caused by cells dividing at an increased speed. There are two types of brain tumour: malignant and benign.
The effects of a brain tumour are dependent on the size and location of the tumour and how much it has spread.There are various organisations and websites that give support and information on brain tumours.
Link to Brain Tumour UK: www.braintumouruk.org.uk

The effects of brain injury
A brain injury can result in a variety of problems including:
Physical disability such as spasticity or lack of mobility
Impaired sight
Impaired speech
Altered thinking
Loss of memory
Loss of concentration
Mood swings
Personal relationship difficulties