This is actually a fairly broad category that covers a number of repugnant acts. For the very young, shaking them can cause damage to the brain because it essentially causes their brain to rattle around in their head. Hitting or kicking someone in the head can also cause injury to the brain, as can gunshots and blows to the head from other objects, such as a hammer.

Many soldiers experience damage to their brains that are related to explosions. There are a number of reasons for this. Depending on the type of explosive device, there may be shrapnel or other flying debris that penetrates a soldier’s head. It’s also possible that other people or objects may collide with a soldier’s head due to the force of the blast. And then there is the blast itself, which researchers believe causes a pressure wave to pass through the brain and cause damage and disruption.

The chances of simply falling down to the ground and causing an injury to your brain are fairly small, but unfortunately there are many other kinds of falls that do lead to this, especially for the very young and the very old. People slip and hit their head on a rock. Or fall down a flight of stairs. Or tumble from a great height, such as off of a ladder or over a balcony. Even simply falling directly onto your head on a hard surface can lead to lasting brain damage, such as slipping in the bath or slamming into concrete. Some have even experienced injury to their brains from diving into a swimming pool improperly and smacking their head on the diving board.

f you follow the Dolphins or the Bucs, then you’re probably aware that the NFL has been trying to put a lot more focus on concussions lately. Even wearing state-of-the-art protective helmets and following rules that prevent leading with the head, head injuries happen when large men race towards each other and purposefully collide. And one need look no further than Muhammad Ali to realize that boxing, with its repeated blows to the head, can cause serious and lasting injury to the brain. But these aren’t the only sports that are culprits – kids fall from skateboards and bicycles, get hit with balls in baseball, and run into each other even in sports like soccer and basketball or when swimming.

When cars, trucks, boats, and other kinds of vehicles collide, there are all kinds of ways for head injuries to occur. Sometimes it’s something as simple as having your head slam into the steering wheel or window. Other times someone involved may be thrown from a vehicle and hit the pavement hard, an outcome that is common for accidents that include motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.