The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) wants the public to realize that more than 5.3 million Americans live with brain injury-related disabilities. For several decades, the BIAA has attempted to bring the subject of brain injury and concussion to the public’s attention during what is observed as Brain Injury Awareness Month each March. The ongoing theme, “Change Your Mind,” is the current public awareness campaign that seeks to educate folks about the incidence of brain injury and the special needs of those with brain injuries and their families. The Association’s use of the blue and white in the logo represents credibility, health and well-being.
At the MAC Alliance, we stress that although doctors may describe the concussion as “mild” (since most concussions are luckily not life-threatening), the effects of concussion can be very serious. After an accident or injury, help should be sought sooner rather than later.
According to the National Safety Council:
- It’s not just football players who get concussions with sports – girls actually suffer more concussions
- Most concussions occur during games, not practices
- An athlete who sustains a concussion is 4-6x more likely to have another concussion
- Someone sustains a brain injury in the U.S. every nine seconds
- The number of individuals who sustain concussion and don’t seek treatment is unknown
Leading causes of Concussions:
(seen in emergency departments as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Falls
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Motor vehicle-related injury
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Unintentionally being struck by or against an obstacle
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Assault
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Sports
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Work-related injuries
Diagnosing and Treating Concussions
Brain injuries are not always easy to treat and recover from. We assess brain health and concussions with a variety of FDA-approved, state-of-the-art neurocognitive tests to take a look at learning and memory skills, cognitive ability, problem solving and ability to concentrate. These tools include ImPACT® neurocognitive testing (developed by neuroscientists at University of Pittsburgh), BrainScope One® EEG for evaluation of a structural brain injury, RightEye® infrared tracking device and, our latest tool, EyeGuide Focus® ten-second infrared tracking. If you’ve been treated by a MAC Alliance partner and have been cleared to resume normal activities, we encourage you to share your story with us. We’d love to feature your success in a future blog!
