The brain controls all bodily functions, and severe injury to the brain can not only impair those functions, but could also result in premature death.

The issue of brain injury in children from playing sports has gained attention over the past several years. But that doesn't mean the injuries themselves have gotten worse.

Athletes in contact sports generally wear protective gear and take various other safety precautions. Even so, injuries do occur, including ones that can lead to brain damage.

About one in 53 Americans suffers a traumatic brain injury each year. This damage in the head may trigger an additional health problem: an increased likelihood of having a stroke.

Many of us will remember what it was like to be an awkward, clumsy teenager. Remember bonking our heads on a door after staring a bit too long at our high school crush? How often are injuries like these serious?

When your kid is out biking, playing baseball or doing some other physical activity, you may worry about their safety, especially if he or she has a mental health condition.

Scoring a goal by heading the ball sure looks cool on TV. Heading in soccer is not known to cause any major injuries either. Why the concern then?

Head injuries are very common in childhood, accounting for 600,000 visits to the emergency department each year in the United States. Clinical examination alone may not be able to detect internal damage.

Trying to remain mentally well is one of the most serious challenges facing military servicemen and women who are on the battlefront and veterans at home.

Veterans can identify the headaches, loss of consciousness and dizziness that characterize a mild brain injury. But a number of other symptoms unrelated to the injury incorrectly get caught up in the mix.