A mild TBI involves either no period of unconsciousness at the time of the injury or less than 30 minutes of unconsciousness. Mild TBIs are also caused concussions and show few apparent effects beyond temporary disorientation, at least at the time of initial diagnosis. Many sports injuries where a player “got his or her bell rung” fit this description, with the injured player “seeing stars” for a bit after impact. Most such injuries don’t result in a trip to the emergency room and thus are not diagnosed as concussions, even though they might actually involve brain damage.
Even if such an injury results in a trip to the emergency room, doctors generally will call a brain injury “mild” so long as the injury results in a period of unconsciousness lasting less than 30 minutes. The disorientation or cloudy thinking also would be expected to last less than half an hour in the event of such a minor brain injury. Even so, a TBI that fits these parameters still could cause lifelong disabilities, so don’t discount seeing a doctor right away.
