Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs from a traumatic, or non-traumatic (illness) event.
"As incredible as this may sound, brain injury in Canada is a silent epidemic. In Canada, brain injury is the number one killer and disabler of people under the age of 44. Statistics further indicate that incidences are two times greater within the male population. Women take longer to recover from a brain injury .... More than one million people in Canada are living with a brain injury, and that number increases daily. During Brain Injury Awareness Month this June, brain injury associations across the country are putting a face to this epidemic through posters, events, and social media, using the hashtag, #IamTheFaceofBrainInjury." (1)
Startling numbers, and the more research we do, and more diagnoses of things like "concussions" (aka mild Traumatic Brain Injury - mTBI), it is no wonder that traumatic brain injuries ARE a leading cause of death.
Is the importance and society impact becoming real yet to you? Here are some more stats to drive the point home that Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are no joke, and unfortunately not going away.
- There were 16,811 hospitalizations as a result of TBI in Canada in 2003–2004, that is 46 people every day. (2)
- It is estimated that every year, 10 million people are affected by a traumatic brain injury globally. (3)
- In 2021, an estimated 640,000 people will suffer from traumatic brain injuries in Canada. By 2031, this number is expected to exceed 730,000. (4)
- According to the World Health Organization, traumatic brain injury will surpass many diseases as the major cause of death and disability by the year 2020. (5)
Help spread the word!
Our Physiotherapists Can Help
Our physiotherapy team are well versed and actively treat concussion symptoms, whether the acute/new stage, to delayed symptoms, to chronic impact mTBI can have on your function, participation, and performance. We look forward to helping you get active, and feel great!
References:
- Canadian Institute for Health Information, Head Injuries in Canada: A Decade of Change (1994–1995 to 2003–2004).
- Hyder, Adnan A., Wunderlich, Colleen A., Puvanachandra, Prasanthi, Gururaj, G., and Kobusingye, Olive C. "The impact of traumatic brain injuries: A global perspective." Neurorehabilitation 22, no. 5 (December 7, 2007): at 341.
- Neurological Health Charities Canada et al, Mapping Collections: An Understanding of Neurological Conditions in Canada, (Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014) at 66.
- Hyder, Adnan A., Wunderlich, Colleen A., Puvanachandra, Prasanthi, Gururaj, G., and Kobusingye, Olive C. "The impact of traumatic brain injuries: A global perspective." Neurorehabilitation 22, no. 5 (December 7, 2007): at 341.