Traumatic Brain and Spine Consultation

Assessment usually includes a neurological exam. This exam evaluates thinking motor function (movement), sensory function, coordination, eye movement, and reflexes. Imaging tests, including CT scans and MRI scans, cannot detect all TBIs

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a blow, bump or jolt to the head, the head suddenly and violently hitting an object or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. Observing one of the following clinical signs constitutes alteration in the normal brain function:

• Loss of or decreased consciousness
• Loss of memory for events before or after the event (amnesia)
• Focal neurological deficits such as muscle weakness, loss of vision, change in speech
• Alteration in mental state such as disorientation, slow thinking or difficulty concentrating