In bicycle crashes, not all serious injuries look the same. In fact, for many, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) leaves no outward physical markings – no bruises, no scrapes, no wounds, and even no loss of consciousness.
TBIs are among the most common injuries in bike crashes, and while some of these injuries are considered “mild,” they can still be serious and should be watched carefully.
Often, many people think of a TBI or concussion as an injury where the person briefly loses consciousness, but this is not true in every case. TBI symptoms can vary from person to person and they can change or develop after the crash.
If you’ve been in a bike accident and hit your head, experienced whiplash, or have TBI symptoms, it’s important to pay attention and seek care accordingly.
Diagnosing TBIs
Unfortunately, TBIs can sometimes be difficult to diagnose, and clinicians and researchers alike are increasingly pointing to the need for updated guidelines and more research to address the gap in knowledge when it comes to TBI care.
READ MORE: New Guidelines Seek to Address TBI Treatment Inconsistencies
Historically, doctors use the Glasgow Coma Scale to diagnose the severity of a brain injury. It’s a scale that was designed to measure consciousness, but not all people who experience a TBI experience a clear cut disruption in consciousness.
To be conscious, the researchers who designed the scale said one must be awake, alert, and oriented, meaning they understand what’s happening, who they are, where they are at and other similar details. For some, it may be easy to recall all of the details of the crash, answer simple questions, and never experience a “black out” or fainting episode. Common symptoms can still persist.
Those symptoms may include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Nausea or vomiting
- Issues with sleep (difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than normal)
- Mood changes, such as anxiety or depression
- Seizure
- Slurred speech
- Numbness in arms or legs
Some of these symptoms may appear right away, but they also may take time to develop. Some of these symptoms may happen along with loss of consciousness and others may not. This is why it’s important to pay close attention in the days and weeks after a crash. TBI severity can vary and each person may experience a TBI a little differently. Some of these symptoms may resolve quickly, and others may linger, requiring medical attention.
Follow up with a health care provider after a crash as necessary to get the best treatment. Untreated, some symptoms can last or cause bigger issues down the road.
Whiplash versus head-strike
There are different ways a TBI can occur.
One way is hitting your head against a hard surface, such as the pavement. Head-strikes commonly happen in bicycle accidents when a person is thrown from their bike. Wearing a helmet may buffer the impact, but it doesn’t prevent all injuries of the head and brain.
Cyclists may also encounter whiplash, which is neck injury that often happens in vehicle accidents. Forceful, back-and-forth movements of the neck from abrupt acceleration and deceleration can injure muscles, tendons, nerves, and also contribute to a traumatic brain injury because those rapid movements can jostle the brain inside of the skull, causing a concussion, or mild TBI.
One doesn’t even have to hit their head on a hard surface to experience whiplash and the ensuing TBI – but people often think that if they didn’t hit their head and didn’t lose consciousness, the chance of a brain injury is slim.
Losing consciousness may accompany whiplash, but oftentimes it doesn’t, especially when the person doesn’t end up hitting their head. Whiplash-related TBI may also be difficult to spot.
“Patients who purport to have suffered mild traumatic brain injury as a result of a whiplash-type mechanism usually show normal findings on physical, neurological, and/or MRI examination,” researchers write in the British Columbia Medical Journal. “But these are not conclusive tests. For this reason functional examinations such as neuropsychological testing and/or neuroimaging studies such as positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) may be expected to provide conclusive evidence of brain damage.”
Whether it’s a direct hit or a cyclist suffers from whiplash, it’s important to remember that loss of consciousness may happen and it may not. There are a lot of factors involved in each and every accident. In whiplash-related TBI cases, higher rates of acceleration and deceleration increase the likelihood of a brain injury. In a bicycle versus car scenario, it is possible there’s enough speed and force to cause this type of injury.
Not hitting your head should not abate the seriousness of the accident or make you think a TBI is less likely.
Attorneys can help
These types of injuries and more can be frustrating, especially as a cyclist. TBIs in particular aren’t always straightforward and health care providers can dismiss or miss them. TBIs are increasingly being thought of as a chronic condition, so the journey to recovery may be longer than anticipated.
TBIs, especially those that have lingering symptoms or a long recovery time, may also come with growing medical bills. When you’re involved in a crash that leads to these types of injuries, contact the staff at Bay Area Bicycle Law to help you navigate your way through the nuances of a bicycle-related personal injury case.
Our staff is committed to providing the best resources and expertise to cyclists across northern California. Schedule a free consultation today by calling (415) 466-8717.