TBI Nexus Letters

In a recent study it was found that paratroopers were twice as likely to sustain a  TBI after joining the Army than did non-paratroopers. Head injuries can happen during rough landings and in-air collisions with other paratroopers.

Paratroopers are also at a unique risk from suffering a number of other musculoskeletal injuries as well. 

Car accidents are the second leading cause of TBIs, making up 17.3% each year. So many things can happen during a motor vehicle accident that could result in a TBI-- your head could come into contact with the steering wheel, dashboard, or window; a free-flying object could hit you.   Whiplash can even cause a TBI.

If you were involved in a car or motorcycle accident during active duty, you may have suffered lasting physical or psychological injuries. Interestingly, 39.2% of motor vehicle accident survivors develop PTSD.

Per research from Johns Hopkins, "The brains of some Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who survived blasts from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and died later of other causes show a distinctive honeycomb pattern of broken and swollen nerve fibers throughout critical brain regions, including those that control executive function. The pattern is different from brain damage caused by car crashes, drug overdoses or collision sports, and may be the never-before-reported signature of blast injuries suffered by soldiers as far back as World War I. "

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in children and older adults but can occur at any age. 

Whether you suffered a blow to the head during a fight or during a contact sport, trauma to the head can result in a TBI.

Firearms with high recoil energies created enough head acceleration to potentially cause concussive brain injury.