Austin Personal Injury Lawyer - Head & Brain Injuries

Treating Brain Injuries

Brooks Schuelke — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:58:46 GMT

“Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” We all remember those late night commercials with the senior citizen pushing the button on her necklace to summon immediate help. I hope that help included a trip to the hospital to check for brain injury. According to a new study released from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 Americans age 65 and older fall. Of those falls, brain injuries account for half of the deaths. This astounding new find adds to the growing concern about head injuries. Asn previously discussed , there are more than 5 million Americans living with the effects of a brain injury. Each year, 1.4 million Americans acquire a new brain injury. So what do you do if you’re one such American?

You can mitigate the damage and effects of a brain injury by immediately seeking treatment. Treatment occurs in three stages: acute, subacute, and chronic . During the acute phase, the goal is to stabilize the victim promptly following injury. The process of stabilization varies and largely depends on the severity of injury. Mild brain injuries tend to not have lasting effects. However, you should seek medical attention following any accidents. A medical provider will be able to better assess your situation and give you the appropriate treatment. Usually, concussions will require rest and a refrain from operating a motor vehicle for a few days. Additionally, you may want to consult with a neuropsychologist. A neuropsychologist is especially helpful with mild brain injuries because they are able to administer tests that will detect subtle symptoms. The tests can determine any change in personality and intellect.

More severe injuries can have longer lasting effects. In traumatic brain injuries, the brain is constantly in danger of swelling. Treatment must be maintained by a physician that can refer you to a neurologist. The neurologist can monitor brain fluid activity with a device called ICP Monitor. The device is implanted through the skull and provides physicians with a constant pressure reading. When fluid levels are too high, medications are administered to alleviate the swelling. Some neurologists may opt for using a “shunt” instead. This is a tube that can be inserted to drain fluid build-up. In addition to monitoring swelling, your physician may prescribe anti-seizure medicines. Since seizures are often a side effect of brain injuries—mild or traumatic—it is not uncommon to use medication to prevent seizures.

The subacute phase of treatment involves rehabilitation. Rehab is important because it can facilitate recovery and provides an avenue for early detection of complications. A patient’s recovery and quality of life will often depend on the accuracy of the rehab program to the injury. The more tailored the program is to the individual, the better results. Also, since the injury is to the mind, it is important to choose a rehab facility that can offer cognitive rehabilitation programs to supplement any physical rehabilitation needed.

Finally, chronic treatment is needed for the most traumatic head injuries. This phase of treatment is a continuance of rehabilitation for long-term impairments. There are generally two categories of chronic treatment: community-based rehabilitation and treatment of consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The categories differ in approach. You can read more about chronic treatment here. Also, please keep in mind that surgery may be an option for any type of brain injury; but it is best to consult with your physician about surgical alternatives first.

Aside from medical help, you may also need legal assistance. If you feel that you or a loved one have received a brain injury as a result of another party’s actions, you should consult an attorney about your rights. An attorney can help navigate you through the legal issues and can act as your liaison with the insurance companies. Furthermore, an attorney can initiate a lawsuit against the party responsible for the brain injuries. You may visit InjuryBoard to search for a qualified personal injury attorney.

For more information and assistance on brain injuries, please contact any of the following organizations:

Brain Injury Association of America
www.biausa.org
800-444-6443

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
800-311-3435

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
www.dvbic.org
800-870-9244

Health Resources and Services Administration
www.hrsa.gov
301-443-3376

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
www.nashia.org
301-656-3500

National Brain Injury Research Treatment and Training Foundation
www.nbirtt.org
434-220-4824

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NICHD, NIH
www.nichd.nih.gov/about/ncmrr
800-370-2943

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr
202-245-7640

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
www.ninds.nih.gov
800-352-9424

North American Brain Injury Society
www.nabis.org
703-960-6500

Social Security Administration
www.ssa.gov
800-772-1213

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brooks Schuelke

Brain Injury 4-1-1

Brooks Schuelke — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:36:46 GMT

Last time we took a look at the leading causes of brain injuries. No doubt you may have a few questions…

Who is most susceptible to this type of injury?

Males between the ages of 15 and 24 are most likely to sustain a brain injury. Men are 2 to 3 times more likely to receive this type of injury because they tend to engage in activities that make them more vulnerable. A majority of these injuries are the result of motorcycle and vehicle accidents. Since men make accident insurance claims more often than women, the result is high insurance premiums. Studies also show that young men are more likely to engage in risky behavior, such as fighting, contact sports, or manual labor.

What are the symptoms of a brain injury?

The following are symptoms that may indicate injury:

· Memory loss and confusion

· Vomiting

· Dizziness

· Partial paralysis or numbness

· Shock

· Anxiety

If you have experienced any of the above symptoms following an accident or head trauma, please consult your doctor. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists symptoms separately for adults and children. The Brain Injury Resource Center also offers a “Brain Injury Checklist” that gives a more thorough self-evaluation to determine if you may have a brain injury.

What are the various levels of injury?

Once you have sustained a brain injury, it is best to immediately seek treatment. The appropriate treatment will depend on the severity of injury. Generally, there are two types of brain injuries: closed and penetrating brain injuries. The injuries within these two categories can range from mild to traumatic.

Closed brain injuries occur when there is no penetration to the brain, and, thus, the skull is intact and “closed.” These type of injuries tend to be mild, as they are most often not life threatening. However, the effects can be serious as even the smallest head injury can disrupt normal brain function. This category includes the most common type of brain injury, a concussion. Doctors often refer to concussions as closed head injuries because the injury occurs despite lack of penetration to the brain. These can often be difficult to diagnose as the signs of a closed head injury may be subtle. Although such injuries are usually accompanied by loss of consciousness, it is not always the case. If there are noticeable behavioral and emotional changes, these changes may be an indication of injury. These types of injuries generally stem from car accidents, falls, or Shaken Baby Syndrome.

A more severe kind of closed brain injury is acquired brain injury. This injury is damage to the brain occurring after birth. It occurs when a sudden, external, physical assault damages the brain and results in a cellular change in the brain caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. The causes for this type of injury include: suffocation, stroke, heart attack, lead exposure, or a crushed chest. InjuryBoard further discusses the various subcategories of an acquired brain injury.

The second type of head injury is penetrating brain injury. These are open head injuries that occur the moment there is a break in the skull, also known as a “skull fracture.” These can occur as a result of a bullet, knife, or any other sharp object. While not all skull fractures can lead to injury, most do. In fact, a skull fracture often causes bits of skull to and dirt to implant into the brain. This can lead to infection or swelling, causing further brain damage. Most of these injuries are considered to be “traumatic brain injuries.” For more on categories of traumatic brain injury, please visit InjuryBoard.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brooks Schuelke

Brain Injury Basics

Brooks Schuelke — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:33:31 GMT

A nine-year oldboy suffered a brain injury after being struck by a car while walking in front of abus in New York. The driver, a teen who was allegedly drunk, hit the boy as he tried to drive around the parked bus.The childis currently being treated at a children’s hospital, but has becomeanother tragic example of avictim of a severe brain injury. Every year, there are over 1.4 million Americans who suffer from a brain injury. Furthermore, more than 5 million Americans are estimated to continue to live with the effects of a past brain injury. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) defines brain injury as “a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain.” This type of neurological injury can affect the mind’s ability to control behavior and emotion, often leading to extreme feelings ranging from outbursts of anger to uncontrollable crying. While these erratic effects can damage the victim’s relationships with others, the most harmful effect to the victim himself is impairment to his intellect. Such injuries tend to influence the brain’s ability to store, process, accumulate, communicate, and retrieve information.

So what are the main causes of brain injuries? According to the CDC and the Brain Injury Association of America, nearly one-third of all brain injuries are attributed to falls. While this leading cause affects all ages, the summer may see a rise in head injuries in children. With school out now, many kids will be riding bikes, jumping stairs with skateboards, and rollerblading down sidewalks. Without proper head protection, many of these kids may end up in the local children’s hospital after taking a spill.

Head injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents are the second leading cause, but may perhaps be the most recognizable. As a personal injury lawyer, I often deal with situations in which my client has suffered some type of head injury due to an auto collision. These type of injuries are not unusual to the legal world, as demonstrated by one recent case in which a man from Greenwood, South Carolina awarded him $2.6 million for the permanent brain injury he sustained as a result of striking a logging truck that blocked the road. The collision occurred in the early morning hours as the truck was parked sans any warning devices. Head injuries from whiplash and crash impacts tend to be commonplace as others, such as Steve Lombardi, have also blogged about their affects.

Behind falls and vehicle accidents, the CDC lists the next leading cause of brain injuries as occurring from events in which the victim was either struck by or against something. This category makes up nineteen percent of all head injuries, but does not include assaults. The CDC lists injuries caused by assaults as comprising of eleven percent. This grouping consists of cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome and bar fights, such as this one.

The types of head injury causes can also differ according to occupation. For example, the leading cause of injury among active military personnel is blasts. An NPR investigation found that troops tend to suffer from brain injuries at a disproportionate amount than the general population. The much needed medical treatment and rehabilitation of these troops contributes to the growing cost of the war in Iraq. In an effort to curb the damages, the military has begun equipping soldiers with advanced combat helmet sensors that help perceive brain injuries. Although the technology is new, it is already being testing on troops who routinely deal with blasts.

Aside from the main sources of injury, recent studies have shown that afflictions such as strokes or sleep apnea can also have devastating effects on the brain. For more about head injury causes and prevention, please visit InjuryBoard.com.

Next up: We’ll take a look at the different types of brain injuries and discuss ways to recognize symptoms…

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brooks Schuelke