9.2 Common physical presentations

What are some of the common physical presentations you may see following a TBI?

Virtually all parts of the brain participate directly and indirectly in the control of purposeful movement. People who sustain a brain injury may present with one of the types of problems listed below, but more commonly they have a mixture of these presentations.

i) Weakness

Weakness may result from the following:

  • Damage to the brain causing a reduction in messages from the brain to activate the muscle.
  • Disuse of muscles particularly if the person has been in hospital for long time.
  • Inability to generate muscle contractions with high intensities necessary to produce fast movement.

Muscles can appear stronger in certain positions which can be quite deceiving. This may be dependent on whether the limb has to be moved against gravity, for example, but can also depend on other factors such as motivation, behaviour and cognition.