Have you been injured in an accident? Have you suffered an injury due to an attack or assault? Mild brain trauma can affect brain cells. But a more traumatic brain injury may result in more permanent brain damage, thereby causing long-term or permanent complications, or even death.
What Is A Brain Injury?
Several methods can cause a TBI (traumatic brain injury): motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, physical assaults, falls, or combat injuries. TBIs can occur when an object penetrates the brain, such as a bullet or a piece of a fractured skull. The results can range from a mild concussion to permanent brain damage.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Mild Brain Injury?
The symptoms of traumatic brain damage, however severe, fall into four categories: cognitive, perceptual, physical, and behavioral.
A brain injury that appears mild can be referred to as a concussion and can be as concerning and alarming as a more severe injury. Long-term disability or impairment does not automatically result from a brain injury, as the extent and location of the brain damage is key to determining diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms can range from psychological to a wide range of physical effects. A mild brain injury’s physical symptoms may include nausea and vomiting, headache; dizziness; balance loss; difficulty with speech; operating in a dazed, disoriented or confused state, unable to sleep or excessive sleeping, and loss of consciousness for moments to several minutes.
Sensory symptoms such as blurred vision, sensitivity to sound and light, ringing in the ears; and changes in the sense of smell or an unpleasant taste in the mouth can also occur.
Symptoms Of A Moderate To More Severe Brain Injury
The symptoms of a mild brain injury noted above can occur in more serious injuries as well. The following physical symptoms may manifest within a few hours to a few days after the injury:
- loss of consciousness lasting for several minutes to several hours
- lack of coordination
- paralysis
- dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes
- clear fluids flowing from nose or ears
- continuous nausea and/or vomiting
- headache that persists or worsens
- numbness and/or weakness in extremities
- unable to awaken after sleep
- convulsions and/or seizures, both mental and physical fatigue.
Mental or cognitive symptoms may also manifest, such as slurred speech, extreme confusion, combative or other unusual behavior, such as irritability, impatience, and aggressiveness, stress intolerance, and denial of condition.
Children suffering from a brain injury may not be able to communicate their symptoms. Watch for the following signs in a child who is possibly suffering from a brain injury: irritability, crying that cannot be consoled, loss of interest in normal activities, unable to pay attention or concentrate, sadness and/or depression, unable to eat or nurse, excessive drowsiness, unable to sleep or excessive sleep, and seizures.
Treatment For A Brain Injury
Medical help should be sought whenever a brain injury is suspected. Whether an injury is mild, moderate, or severe, all are serious and require a prompt and accurate diagnosis.
For a mild brain injury, treatment may include pain relievers with rest. To determine the diagnosis of a more serious condition, the physician may order an MRI or a CT scan. Neuropsychological testing may be ordered as well, determined by the patient’s intelligence, attention, memory, perception, and other sensory-motor skills are functioning.
After a brain injury, it is necessary that the patient be stabilized to prevent additional damage. Blood pressure needs to be controlled, and proper blood and oxygen flow to the brain is required. Once stabilized, the patient may require surgery to remove a blood clot (hematoma), remove dead or damaged brain tissue, relieve pressure in the skull, and repair skull fractures.
Medications may be required to treat the patient’s symptoms and reduce the risks associated with brain injury. Medication may also be needed to reduce feelings of fear and nervousness (anti-anxiety) and blood clot prevention (anticoagulants), as well as seizure prevention treated with anticonvulsants. Treatment for depression and unstable mood swings will be treated with antidepressants. Muscle relaxants will help lessen muscle spasms, and stimulants will be used to increase alertness.
When Is Rehabilitation Required?
Rehabilitation is necessary for people who have lost the ability to function daily. Physical therapy will be used for trauma, burns, fractures, spinal cord injuries, and other injuries related to the traumatic brain injury, such as chronic neck and back pain.
While physical therapy mainly focuses on gross motor function, occupational therapy focuses on fine motor skills that can help patients perform tasks necessary for their daily lives. To put it simply, occupational therapy treats the whole person. Occupational therapists are trained to assist with money management, help to build social skills, and help patients to organize their daily lives. Occupational therapists can also help with disorders resulting from drug addiction or personality disorders.
How Our San Francisco Brain Injury Lawyers Can Help
Have you been in an accident? Have you been injured by another person? Do you suspect that you or a loved one is suffering from a brain injury because of someone else’s negligence? If so, a San Francisco brain injury lawyer can help. Brain injuries can change your life, and damages may be difficult to determine later, thereby possibly requiring an experienced medical professional to provide expert testimony at a later time, protecting you from insurance companies that try to unfairly settle.
But you do not need to feel alone. Read further to see how TorkLaw can help you.
This firm’s experienced accident and personal injury lawyers will prepare a traumatic brain injury lawsuit to help you regain lost income and future earning potential, the cost of medical treatment–both past and future–rehabilitation services to restore your health and way of life, as well as any applicable punitive damages.
If you find yourself the survivor of a brain injury and need legal representation, TorkLaw can help. Contact TorkLaw Personal Injury and Accident Lawyers today at 888-845-9696 for a free consultation.