In this week's episode of the Spine & Nerve podcast Drs Nicolas Karvelas and Brian Joves give us an introduction to traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been on my mind this weekend. TBI is defined as "a disruption of brain function due to an external force or blow to the head."

Patients who experience a TBI can present with decreased level of consciousness, memory loss before or after injury, alteration of mental status, neurologic deficits, and/or intracranial lesions. The etiology of TBI from CDC data are from falls (35.2%), unknown/other (21%), motor vehicle/traffic (17.3%), struck by/against an object (16.5%), and assaults (10%).

This conversation focuses a little more on mild TBI and concussion, and steers away from moderate and severe TBI - which is a subspecialty and fellowship of its own. Mild TBI is the result of the forceful motion of the head or impact causing a brief change in mental status; loss of consciousness for less than 30 minutes; as a patient who had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13 or greater; or post traumatic amnesia less than 24 hours.

Listen in as the docs give an overview of TBI. Follow our practice on Facebook at Spine & Nerve Diagnostic Center. Please leave us a comment or review- these help us to improve and provide value to more people.

This podcast is for information and educational purposes only, it is not meant to be medical advice. If anything discussed may pertain to you, please seek council with your healthcare provider. The views expressed are those of the individuals expressing them, they may not represent the views of Spine & Nerve.