MARINA Y. USACHEVA, M.D. UNIVERSITY OF IOWASTUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Be Smart,

Helmet Your Brain

Skiing

Snowboarding

Biking

Motorcycling

Rollerblading

Baseball Softball

http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/iowa-gameday-08.html

What is missing here?

Helmets, Helmets, Helmets

Why do we need helmets?

Injuries do happen

Damage to the brain can affect EVERYTHING

you do, from thinking to moving It can lead to coma and death

The Brain … What is it and what does it do?

What does the brain do?

When you're thinking hard, you're using your brain

You need the brain To solve math problems To figure out a video game Play instruments Draw a picture Read a book

Left hemisphereReasoning skillsSpeakingWritingNumber skillsMovement of the right side

of the body

Right hemisphere Creative skills Imagination The left side of the body Insight Musical ability and

interpretation Awareness of three

dimensions

Cerebrum (Brain)Hemispheres

The Brain Lobes

Frontal lobeMain movement of

extremities, trunk and eyes

Memory JudgmentBehavior control

Parietal LobeSense of spaceSensationOther movements

The Brain Lobes

Temporal Lobe Language Plays an important role in

emotions Assists with memory

Cerebellum Coordination Timing

Occipital lobe Vision

The Brain

Brain stem Breathing Blood pressure Arousal

Did you know that

Human brain weighs ~ 3 pounds ( 1.4 kg)

Brain Anatomy

Neurons = Nerve Cells

Neurons have Cell bodyDendritesAxons

Neurons carry messages

Did you know that…

Human brain is made up of over 10 billion neurons

The neurons are surrounded by the glia (from the Greek “glue”)

Some neurons are over a meter long

The brain has many different parts that work together

Cerebrum

Cerebellum

Brain stem

Hypothalamus

Hippocampus

Pituitary gland

Brain development and function

When you learn things, the messages travel from one neuron to another, over and over

Eventually, the brain starts to create connections (pathways) between the neurons, so things become easier and you can do them better and better

Informative routs. Sensory andmotor signals

Neurons

When you were born, your brain came with all the neurons it will ever have, but many of them were not connected to each other

Head and Brain Anatomy

Your brain sits inside a hard, bony skull

Head and Brain Anatomy Layers of membranes

n Dura matern Pia matern Arachnoid

Fluid around the brain provide additional padding

Layers of membranes Dura materPia materArachnoid

Fluid around the brain provides additional padding

Head and brain Anatomy

Brain injuries

Skull fracture Skull fracture= Crack If the sharp edges of a

fractured skull bone press into the brain, they can damage the delicate tissues and lead to bleeding in the brain

One sign of a skull fracture is clear fluid or blood draining from the nose or ears

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Mild A concussion Quick recovery (usually)

Moderate

Severe TBI

Can do enough damage to knock you unconscious for a longer period of time

A hard blow to the head can shake the brain inside the skull, resulting in bruising, broken blood vessels, or nerve damage

It can even lead to a coma or death

Healing after concussion

Rest! Rest! Rest! Just like you need to rest your ankle after a sprain,

you need to rest your brain after a concussion. Get plenty of sleep to give your brain time to heal. Stay off the playing field until your doctor gives you

the OK. Getting a second concussion before the first one has

healed can slow your recovery and increase the risk for permanent brain damage

Coaches, athletic trainers or parents can do initial assessment

However, the people most qualified to diagnose a brain injury are emergency room doctors, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists and neuropsychologist

Diagnosing TBIs “Invisible injury”

http://trialx.com/curebyte/2012/10/23/brain-bleed-photos/

How Common Are Brain Injuries?

Every year, 1.7 million people have an accident that leads to a traumatic brain injury

Most injuries (~ 75% ) are mild, including concussions

But more serious brain injuries send 275,000 people to the hospital and cause 52,000 deaths every year

Helmets and Why Do We Need Them?

A type of protective headgear Helmets are made to protect and cushion your brain

from the crash Helmets prevent traumatic brain injury (TBI), disability,

and death

Do Ski Helmets Help Prevent Head Injury? The Brave Ski Mom (October 15, 2012, CO)

Yes  

Research conducted over the past 20 years shows that children under age 15 are more likely to suffer a head injury while skiing or snowboarding than any other age group.

For kids in this group, a helmet can prevent or reduce the severity of the injury by 53%.

Yes No

Barriers to helmet use

Peer pressure Cost Inconvenience Poor fit and discomfort Damage to personal appearance Lack of knowledge about consequences of TBI

Remember

Any helmet is better than no helmet at all Brain injuries do not discriminate and might happen

to Anyone Anywhere Anytime

SAFETY

http://snow.co.nz/news/2012/5/2726-mt-hutt-celebrates-10-and-under-free-deal-children

Be Smart, Helmet Your Brain

Quick Review

http://ww.braininjury101.org/

http://kidshealth.org/kid/quizzes/NSquiz.html#cat20913

References

http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/ http://www.biausa.org/ http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/abouttbi.html