An Effective Rehabilitation Strategy for Patients With Acquired Brain Injury - Research Paper Example

Though the movement of the brain is restricted in the head, it is not directly anchored to the skull and is thus prone to injury during sudden movements or trauma. In addition to blunt force trauma, the brain may be damaged when moving across the irregularities on the internal surface of the skull. The brain tissue is comprised of varying densities that shift and react to trauma in different ways. During a high-force trauma, the brain shifts in an irregular manner that may result in stretching or shearing of neural tissue.

There are three external means in which primary brain injury occurs. The first manner occurs with the direct impact of the cranium. The second scenario arises with penetration through the cranium into the brain tissue. The final means of primary damage occurs with the collision between the brain tissue and the internal cranial structure. Acquired brain injury may occur without significant damage to the skull, which is known as a closed injury (Stokes, 2004, p. 104). In addition to this, cranial damage may occur in the form of a linear fracture, a physical depression into the neural tissue, or perforation from a foreign body (Stokes, 2004, p. 104). In addition to external primary injury, secondary damage may also occur in acquired brain injury.

Both biochemical and mechanical factors contribute to the consequences of secondary damage (Stokes, 2004, p. 105). When a brain injury occurs, the neural damage and cell death subsequently catalyze a pathological process that develops into oedema.