How much energy and force does it take to damage the brain?

Question

Is it possible for someone to damage their brain through movement alone, without actually having an impact?

1.) Does shaking your head vigorously after a shower, or headbanging, cause shearing, tear axons, etc?

2.) What if I flung out a punch and the momentum therefrom then caused ripples of the energy exerted to ripple and torrent back up through the length of my arm and into my head, causing it to shake a quarter of an inch real suddenly? Could this motion kill brain cells or cause shearing?

3.) When someone uses a hammer against a hard surface, and they're of a skinny disposition, with no fat or muscle so to stabilize and mitigate the resulting energy generated by the impacts, can subsequent forces channel back up into the brain and cause harm?

Thanks.

Answer 1

shaking your head vigorously can cause some minor damage, but nothing that you will even notice other than a possible headache.  The other things are not likely.  It takes only 5lbs. of pressure to cause serious brain damage, but the brain is cushioned very well.

Answer 2

Impact causes minor damage to brain.

1.) Does shaking your head vigorously after a shower, or headbanging, cause shearing, tear axons, etc?

Actually no. But it might make you dizzy.

2.) What if I flung out a punch and the momentum therefrom then caused ripples of the energy exerted to ripple and torrent back up through the length of my arm and into my head, causing it to shake a quarter of an inch real suddenly? Could this motion kill brain cells or cause shearing?

Yes. But only few cells die. If the skin on your head (called scalp) turns bluish, it means that place has dead cells resulting from that motion.

3.) When someone uses a hammer against a hard surface, and they're of a skinny disposition, with no fat or muscle so to stabilize and mitigate the resulting energy generated by the impacts, can subsequent forces channel back up into the brain and cause harm?

Yes. It may make your brain feel like has pressure on the occipital place.