Winter is an exciting time. It’s also a challenging time to stay active. Many of us participate in winter sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, hockey and snowmobiling.- If you or a loved one participates in winter sports, you can take precautions to prevent head injuries during play:
- Wear a properly fitted helmet that is appropriate for the activity. Helmets can go a long way toward preventing or reducing the severity of a TBI.
- Set a no hits to the head or other dangerous play rule for hockey and other contact sports.
- Take lessons. If you’re going skating, skiing, or snowboarding, basic lessons will help you learn how to fall more safely and less often.
• Average hospital-based acute rehab is about $8,000 per day
• Range for post-acute residential is about $850 to $2,500 per day
• Day treatment programs (e.g., 4 hours of therapy) are about $600 to $1,000 with no room/board
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, direct medical costs and indirect costs of TBI in the U.S., such as lost productivity, totaled an estimated $76.3 billion.
Source: Brain Injury Association of America
Incidence of brain injury
• 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Injury Prevention, the leading causes of TBI are:
o Falls (35.2%)
o Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%)
o Struck by/against events (16.5%)
o Assaults (10%)
• Brain injury can result in a range of outcomes (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
o 52,000 die
o 275,000 are hospitalized
o 1,365,000 are treated and released from an emergency department.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated
o 2,685 deaths
o 37,000 hospitalizations
o 435,000 emergency department visits
• The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
• TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States.
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• About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
Source: Brain Injury Association of America
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and their network of state affiliates, including self-advocates, families and volunteers across the nation, will mark Brain Injury Awareness Month this March. A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone – a brain injury does not discriminate. In fact, 1.7 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year. Early and equal access to care for all is our goal. We will be sharing with you ideas on how to promote brain injury awareness in your community.
Make sure to check back on the site during the month for ongoing updates!
To find out more about the Michigan affiliate click here