The Long-Term Complications of Traumatic Brain Injuries
TBI has a dramatic impact on the lives of injury victims and the people who care for them, which is a much larger issue than many people realize. In fact, more than 5.3 million Americans are currently living with brain injury disabilities.
Does Someone You Love Suffer from Aphasia?
Aphasia is a neurological condition that impairs your ability to speak or understand others. Strokes and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are the two leading causes of aphasia. TBI results from a blunt force trauma to the head, and it may result from an automobile collision or other type of accident such as a fall.
Aphasia can also be a sign of serious medical disorders such as dementia, infection, or Alzheimer’s Disease. If you notice that you or a loved one is having difficulty speaking, reading, or understanding words, make sure they get medical attention right away.
Brain Injuries Could Have Subtle Symptoms
Trauma to the head is common in motor vehicle, bicycle accidents, and falls. A person may suffer injury to the brain that goes undetected by medical professionals, with symptoms that begin to appear during the first 72 hours after the injury. This condition, known as subtle brain injury (SBI), can have life-altering consequences for victims and their families.
What Are the Most Common Forms of Brain Damage?
The brain is perhaps the most important organ in our bodies. It controls our ability to move, breathe, think, plan, pump blood, and regulates our emotions. That is why brain damage can be so devastating.
The Hidden Complication of Accidents: CRPS
If you have been injured in an auto accident, the injuries are often quite visible, with most long-term effects known and predictable. However, a little-known complication that can arise after physical trauma is called “complex regional pain syndrome,” or CRPS.
CRPS is an injury to your peripheral and central nervous systems that causes your brain to believe that your limb or body part is damaged and painful long after an injury is healed – leading to worsening pain and disability. Those who suffer from CRPS are often unaware of the underlying causes of their pain and try to “live with it,” assuming the injury is still healing.
New Guideline for Treating Concussions
The personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles at the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand have found that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recently released a new guideline to deal with the 1 million athletes who suffer from concussions, and potentially debilitating brain injuries every year in the United States.
New evidence has found that it does not take much for permanent brain damage to occur if a concussion is not properly cared for on and/or off the playing field. Researchers have found that younger brains can be especially vulnerable to long-term damage.
The co-lead author of the new guideline said that the new standards replace the older 1997 guidelines released by the AAN. One of the most important recommendations the new guideline stresses is that any athlete who is suspected of having experienced a concussion should be removed from the field of play immediately.
He went on to say, “We’ve moved away from the concussion grading systems we first established in 1997 and are now recommending concussion and return to play be assessed in each athlete individually. There is no set timeline for safe return to play.”
Not surprisingly, the guideline states that for men, the sports that offered the greatest risk for sustaining a concussion were football, soccer, and hockey. For women, the greatest potential risks for concussion and traumatic brain Injury were in soccer and basketball. The guideline also states that the period of greatest risk for potential brain damage is within the first 10 days of a concussion.
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another party, whether on the playing field or off, contact the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand. Traumatic brain injuries can lead to lifetime of expensive medical care and rehabilitation costs, and can place immense stress on the families of victims. If you believe you have a case, we can be reached online or call us at our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022, or at our Encino office at (818) 981-3530.
1.4 Million American Suffer Traumatic Brain Injuries Annually
According to the Brain Injury Association of America, there are 1.4 million cases of traumatic brain injuries that are reported annually in the United States. As an additionally large number of cases go unreported or untreated, the number of people suffering from brain injuries in the U.S. could be even higher.
The leading cause of traumatic brain injuries is falls, at 28%. Motor vehicle crashes are second on the list, accounting for 20% of all traumatic brain injuries.
Suffering from traumatic brain injuries can affect one’s language and communication skills, emotional behaviors, sensory perceptions, and ability to process information. It has also been correlated with increased risk for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
At Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we have successfully handled cases involving traumatic brain injury and understand how to approach these life-changing situations with compassion and persistence from a legal, medical, and practical real-life standpoint.