Brain Injury Information

The brain is involved in just about everything we do, it makes us who we are, what we think, and what we feel, so the brain is really important and because it is protected only by the bones of the skull, even without a visible wound, it can easily be damaged.

Common causes of brain injury

Brain injuries that occur after birth, we call acquired brain injuries (ABI) and the majority of those are traumatic in nature, such as sudden blows to the head as a result of a car or bike accident, a fall, or assault. Other types of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are those caused by something entering the brain, causing wide spread damage like gun shots or stabbing. The brain can also be damaged if it doesn’t get enough oxygen (hypoxic brain injury) for example after a heart attack or suffocation, by poisoning with drugs or gasses, by infections, or by internal bleeding like a stroke.

Learn more about types of brain injuries

Effects of brain injury

Damage to the brain can show itself in many ways, depending on what parts of the brain are damaged and by how bad or severe the damage is.

Learn more about the brain and what it does

Depending on where it is in the brain, the damage may affect physical, cognitive and psychological functions. Physical problems may affect walking, balance, movement and strength. Cognitive difficulties may include language and communication, memory, thinking skills, or planning and decision making. Psychological effects can include mood and behavior, difficulties with social skills such as forming and maintaining relationships or dealing with emotions. Damage to the brain is often not visible to the naked eye, so some problems will not be obvious to other people for example cognitive difficulties, whilst other difficulties might stand out more such as physical problems.

Learn more about effects of brain injuries

The severity of traumatic brain injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage done to the brain and these are often referred to as ‘classifications of brain injury’.

Learn more about how we determine the severity

Recovery from brain injury

While people who have suffered a mild brain injury can make a full recovery, some may have ongoing problems. People with a moderate to severe brain injury are more likely to need specialised and longer-term rehabilitation.

Having a brain injury may completely change lives for those living with the injury and for those around them. Successful rehabilitation is based on a partnership between therapists, clients and their family/whānau.

At ABI rehabilitation, we pride ourselves on having an experienced and specialised team of health professionals including Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Therapists, Psychologists and Social Worker - all dedicated to achieving the goals set by clients and family/whānau to reach the best possible recovery.

Learn more about the rehabilitation journey