As the brain is the control centre of everything we do, think and feel, brain injuries can result in many kinds of physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional impairments, and interfere with the brain’s ability to perform any of its tasks. These impairments may be permanent or temporary.
While each brain injury is a unique event with a unique set of effects, the following is a list of common symptoms:
Physical
- movement problems
- coordination and balance problems
- full or partial paralysis
- chronic pain
- fatigue
- seizures
- sleep disturbance
Sensory
- impairment of sense of smell and/or taste
- vision or hearing difficulties
- communication
- impaired speech
- word-finding problems
- difficulty understanding oral, written, or non-verbal language
Emotional
- difficulty expressing emotions appropriately
- mood swings
- easily frustrated
- poor anger management
- depression
Cognitive
- slowed information processing
- memory loss
- memory processing problems
- problems with concentration and attention
- impaired judgement
- problem-solving difficulties
- social behavioural problems