Glasgow Coma Scale

I've been told I had a 9, so sadly must likely effected for life not just years of a slow recovery



There are a few different systems that medical practioners use to diagnose the symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury. This section discusses the Glasgow Coma Scale.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is based on a 15 point scale for estimating and categorizing the outcomes of brain injury on the basis of overall social capability or dependence on others.

The test measures the motor response, verbal response and eye opening response with these values:

I. Motor Response
6 - Obeys commands fully
5 - Localizes to noxious stimuli
4 - Withdraws from noxious stimuli
3 - Abnormal flexion, i.e. decorticate posturing
2 - Extensor response, i.e. decerebrate posturing
1 - No response

II. Verbal Response
5 - Alert and Oriented
4 - Confused, yet coherent, speech
3 - Inappropriate words and jumbled phrases consisting of words
2 - Incomprehensible sounds
1 - No sounds

III. Eye Opening
4 - Spontaneous eye opening
3 - Eyes open to speech
2 - Eyes open to pain
1 - No eye opening

The final score is determined by adding the values of I+II+III.

This number helps medical practioners categorize the four possible levels for survival, with a lower number indicating a more severe injury and a poorer prognosis:

Mild (13-15):

-loss of consciousness and/or confusion and disorientation is shorter than 30 minutes.
-The symptoms are often subtle and are often missed by the injured person, family and doctors.
-The person looks normal and often moves normal in spite of not feeling or thinking normal. This makes the diagnosis easy to miss.


Moderate Disability (9-12):

-Loss of consciousness greater than 30 minutes
-Physical or cognitive impairments which may or may resolve
-Benefit from Rehabilitation


Severe Disability (3-8):

-Coma: unconscious state. No meaningful response, no voluntary activities


Vegetative State (Less Than 3):

-Sleep wake cycles
-Aruosal, but no interaction with environment
-No localized response to pain

Persistent Vegetative State:

-Vegetative state lasting longer than one month


Brain Death:

-No brain function
-Specific criteria needed for making this diagnosis