Brain Injury In Focus

Trauma to the brain happens if a person suffers brain injury, and this could be minor or serious. When people experience brain trauma, they might have impaired motor functions and other physical and cognitive problems. Complications like infection might arise seven days or so after the original injury. Seizures and pneumonia are common conditions for trauma sufferers too. Doctors gauge the level of brain damage using the Glasgow Coma Scale. This neurological measurement determines the health of a person’s mental faculties. The brain’s recovery is monitored by the Rancho Los Amigos Scale.

Head trauma can arise from various situations, such as falls, car crashes and other incidents. With closed head injuries, the skull stays intact, however the brain suffers damage from the impact, or from being tossed around inside the skull during the trauma. With penetrative injuries, the skull is breached. People who suffer gunshot wounds to their heads have penetrative traumatic brain injuries, whereas people who suffer whiplash in road accidents could have closed head injuries.

The Glasgow Coma Scale assesses a person’s response ability and consciousness. Typically, scores between eight and three on this scale indicate serious brain injury. Furthermore, if a person loses consciousness for over one day, or experiences amnesia for more than one week, this also suggests serious brain problems. Each of these symptoms demonstrate that patients have suffered dangerous neurological insults, which could result in permanent brain damage.

Once patients receive a brain trauma diagnosis, doctors will determine whether rehabilitation is required. Rehabilitation schemes might vary, based on the kind of brain injuries and predicted recovery time. Normally, treatment involves daily tasks and physical therapy. In severe instances, patients might have to relearn basic literacy skills, or how to feed and dress themselves. Qualified physical therapists will be available to guide patients through these important routines. These routines might feature cognitive therapy, alongside balance and coordination tests.

Most of the time, brain trauma therapy is delivered in an outpatient environment, or via an assisted living center. Therapy might last for a number of years, weeks or months. Occasionally, patients do not recover all their faculties completely.

In many cases, it is hard to detect traumatic brain injuries. A few of the signs to look for are tiredness, uncharacteristic behavior, changes to pupil responsiveness, erratic consciousness levels, sickness, nausea, bewilderment, slurred sentences and a lack of motor coordination. Even a minor mishap could cause extreme damage to the brain, due to internal bleeding. Because of this, if even a slight chance of traumatic brain injuries exist, patients ought to visit hospital straightaway for an assessment.