(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller/Released)Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant health issue which affects service members and veterans during times of both peace and war. The high rate of TBI and blast-related concussion events resulting from current combat operations directly impacts the health and safety of individual service members and subsequently the level of unit readiness and troop retention.
TBI & the Military
DVBIC is the DoD’s Office of Responsibility for tracking traumatic brain injury (TBI) data in the U.S. military. Our website provides numbers for service members diagnosed with TBI since 2000.
America's deployed service members are sustaining attacks from explosions or blasts almost daily by rocket-propelled grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and land mines.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be classified as mild, moderate, severe or penetrating. The severity is determined at the time of injury.
Care for combat wounded service members is accomplished through a medical transport system which begins on the battlefield with initial life saving treatment.
The vast majority of people who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion recover completely with little or no intervention.
The most obvious difference between combat-related concussion and sports-related concussion is the mechanism of injury.
There is increasing concern that individuals who sustain multiple concussions are at risk for prolonged or permanent neurologic damage, including early onset dementia.
Because of growing concern about traumatic brain injury (TBI), Congress requires that military and Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals screen all service members returning from combat for TBIs. This ensures early treatment; however, it also creates the need for additional management of care as service members and veterans move through military, VA and civilian health systems nationwide.
Find information and links for service members and their families from DOD and VA health insurers.
With the increased awareness of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion, many military health care providers find themselves without the necessary tools to treat chronic and co-occurring symptoms.