01/12/2026
We have historically used the terms, mild, moderate, and severe to categorize TBI. In 2025 a new classification system was recommended, but it has not been adopted yet.
These classifications are only helpful for the time of injury, however. Half of all mild TBI patients will continue to have symptoms up to a year after their injury and a third will continue to have symptoms well beyond this timeframe. This is why the new classification system was recommended.
In the meantime, “Mild“ TBI = concussion. Mild TBI includes minimal or no loss of consciousness, no changes on head imaging, and a normal Glasgow coma scale (GCS 13-15).
These are the most common types of brain injuries, yet many people still believe that you have to have a loss of consciousness in order to have a brain injury. Mild TBI literally has minimal or no loss of consciousness, and makes up 70 to 80% of all brain injuries.
We don’t know exact data on mild TBI and concussion because many people don’t get evaluated. They assume it’s not an issue and that they will get better without doing anything. Unfortunately, this is often a wrong assumption. Things can be done, and you can get better much faster than you thought. This takes change on everyone’s part, however.
The first step is realizing how common concussion is, and we need to diagnose and treat it better.
Have you ever had an injury that you didn’t get assessed because you assumed it would be nothing?
