What is Important to Brain Injury Recovery After an Accident?
According to the CDC, traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death and disability in the United States. Those who survive a brain injury can face symptoms that last days, weeks, months—or even the rest of their lives. The effects of a brain injury can include deficits in vision or hearing, thinking or memory problems, movement and sensation issues, and changes in emotional functioning, such as personality changes, depression, and anxiety. These issues not only affect the person with the brain injury but their family members as well. The leading cause of brain injuries in the United States is falls, accounting for nearly half of all traumatic brain injury ER visits. Motor vehicle collisions are the second leading cause of brain injury, followed by violence and gunshot wounds, military attacks, and recreational or sports injuries. Following a brain injury, it is extremely important to your recovery to do certain things, such as:
Should I Seek Experienced Medical Attention Immediately?
No matter whether you believe your brain injury is serious or not, you should always be checked out by a qualified physician. Immediately following a brain injury, the brain tissue will react to the trauma and tissue damage with a series of physiological and biochemical responses. Substances that were safely inside the cells could flood the brain, causing further damage and destroying brain cells. Next, the individual’s functioning could be impaired, depending on the level of injury. A more severe injury could cause a loss of consciousness at the time of the injury; a traumatic brain injury could lead to lengthy loss of consciousness or coma. The first few days after such a serious trauma can cause negative changes in motor functions and breathing.
While those with the most severe brain injuries may never regain consciousness, most others with a brain injury will. A variety of neurologically based symptoms can occur, and some victims of brain injury will experience amnesia, confusion, or disorientation. Unlike bone and muscle, the neurons in the brain do not mend—that is, new nerves in the brain will not grow and lead to full recovery. Instead, in some cases, the functions controlled by the areas of the brain that were damaged may then be at least be partially controlled by another area of the brain.
In any case, immediate treatment is crucial, preferably by a medical staff that is highly experienced in the treatment of brain injuries. Emergency care includes monitoring of the blood flow to the brain as well as monitoring brain temperature, the oxygen supply to the brain, and the pressure inside the skull. Surgery may be necessary to relieve pressure, remove dead brain tissue or debris, or to repair a skull fracture. Brain injury patients will be monitored closely for infection, as well as blood clots, and may require nutritional supplements to manage dietary deficiencies.
What Are Three Important Issues for Brain Injury Recovery?
According to ninds.nih.gov, rehabilitation levels, age, and genetics all have a significant impact on brain injury recovery. Following the acute care period of in-hospital treatment, those with severe brain injuries are often transferred to a rehabilitation center. The team of rehabilitation experts may include neurologists, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, and respiratory, speech, vocational, physical, and occupational therapists. This intensive therapy improves the patient’s ability to handle daily living activities and addresses emotional, occupational, physical, and cognitive difficulties. Some rehabilitative therapies are provided via outpatient services.
The other two issues that affect the level of recovery following a brain injury are genetics and age. Researchers have found that a specific apolipoprotein (ApoE4) is associated with worse health outcomes following a brain injury and is also associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. Age—as well as the number of head injuries a person has suffered throughout his or her lifetime—can also have a significant effect on the outcome of a brain injury. Brain swelling in newborns, young infants, and teenagers often occurs much more quickly than in older individuals. Those between the ages of 20-40 are more likely to have mood and behavioral changes following a brain injury than those younger and older. Adults over the age of 50 tend to suffer more cognitive difficulties than a younger person with the same brain injury, and, overall, are less likely to have a complete recovery from a brain injury.
Why Should I Contact a Brain Injury Attorney from Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers?
If you have suffered a brain injury caused by the negligence of another person or entity, it is extremely important that you seek legal advice from an experienced Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers personal injury attorney. While following all the advice of your doctors is crucial to your recovery, so is having a strong legal advocate who will work hard on your behalf to ensure your medical expenses and lost wages are taken care of. Contact Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers today!