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Archive for July, 2010

Emerging Treatments for Traumatic Brain Injury

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

For anyone who has suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI), the resulting physical and mental impairments depend largely upon the individual cause. The effects of a TBI may present themselves in obvious ways, such as difficulties with mobility, speech, memory, and/or personality.

However, there may be subtle damage to the brain that may go unnoticed except by close family and friends of the injured. While any type of TBI is devastating, there have been recent scientific and medical advances, which are greatly improving the odds of recovery for many with this potentially debilitating brain injury.

In order to understand how new emerging TBI treatments work, general knowledge of how traumatic brain injury occurs is essential. TBI can be described as damage to the brain due to violent compression of the brain against the inside of the skull. (more…)

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Virginia Traumatic Brain Injury Law

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

$fractal mushroom$ The Virginia General Assembly recently issued their support of a bill that makes student athletes in high school obtain physician approval before returning to play after exhibiting signs and symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or concussion. The bill has not yet been signed into law by Virginia’s governor, Robert F. McDonnell, but is currently awaiting executive approval. Similar bills have been approved in other states, including Oregon, Maine, New Jersey, and Washington. Twelve other states are presently considering comparable legislation to protect children from the very serious dangers posed by TBI.

The bill, SB 652, was sponsored by Senator Ralph Northam in response to neurological studies that showed serious damage was occurring in the brains of students who had experienced more than one concussion while engaged in high school sports. The bill was welcomed by both sides of the legislature. (more…)

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Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Following a blow or jolt to the head, whether injury is apparent or not, individuals should know that even a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) could lead to life-long disabling consequences. Even a mild shock to the head can lead to the very real and freighting possibility of a permanent brain injury.

Signs You Must Be Evaluated

It’s just not possible to check out every single bump or jolt that comes along. You would spend your life in the doctor’s office. But you can reduce the changes of a permanent brain injury disability by knowing when to see the doctor for a TBI evaluation. (more…)

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The Anatomy of a Brain Injury

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can affect different parts of the brain, often dependent upon the location where the injuring force was concentrated, but sometimes affecting many areas of the brain. The location of damage within the brain will have a strong influence on the type of disability experienced. The brain is made of the cerebral cortex, brain stem, and cerebellum. Each has a distinct function, but they all interrelate to function as a whole.

Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is the largest section of the brain. It includes four different lobes-types called the frontal, the parietal, the occipital and the temporal. The frontal lobe is so called because it sits at the front outer part of the brain. The parietal lobe is centrally located at the top of the brain. The occipital lobe is at the center back of the brain and the temporal lobes are located on either side. Injuries to the different lobes can have different affects on brain functioning.

Injuries to the frontal lobe can interfere with reasoning, decision making, problem solving, emotions and behaviors. Patients’ behavior can become riskier and more impulsive. Attention deficits and memory problems are common. (more…)

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Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result from any activity where there is a blow to the head. It can come from blunt force or a jolt. There does not need to be any actual strike to the head or skull for injury to occur. For instance, shock waves from an explosion or sudden deceleration from a car accident can both cause TBI, even though they leave no external signs of physical injury.

The disruption in normal brain activity caused by the blow or jolt can be temporary or permanent. Because the outcome of brain injuries, even mild ones, are impossible to predict, it’s important to understand the activities that are riskiest, how to prevent injury and what to do if an injury occurs.

Most brain injuries are the result of a fall, motor vehicle accident, striking blow or an assault. In fact, more than 1/3 of all TBI cases are because of a fall. The elderly and children are most prone to this type of head injury. (more…)

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