Annual brain injury conference focuses on latest treatment … – NTV

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The eleventh annual Nebraska Brain Injury Conference is underway at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.

The two day conference is presented by the Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska.

It is featuring about 20 sessions, each one focusing on different aspects of brain injuries, treatment and rehabilitation. There is about 200 attendants ranging from medical professionals and caregivers to survivors.

"My injury was 29 years ago, it was in Omaha," said Dale Johannes.

He was a junior in high school when he was in a serious car crash.

"In the accident I was broke 17 ribs, I punctured both my lungs, I shattered my jaw, I cracked my pelvis," said Johannes. "But, the worst thing that happened to me was the fact that I had the head injury."

This brain injury left him temporarily mute.

"Because of the head injury I couldn't speak for six weeks and when I could speak again I had the maturity level of a second grader," said Johannes. "I was seventeen at the time. I was in the hospital for three months and I went through an additional two months of out patient therapy.

Now, nearly three decades later, Dale says he doesn't notice many side effects.

"It's who I am now," said Johannes.

He came to Thursday's event in hopes of raising awareness, and that's just what this conference is doing.

"Many people don't realize how common place brain injuries are," said Lori Terryberry-Spohr, Ph.D., ABPP, conference speaker, and director of rehabilitation at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. "There are 36,000 people or more living in the state of Nebraska with a brain injury. Brain injuries occur on a daily basis in our state all the way from very mild concussive type injuries to more severe injuries like you might think of individuals who go through a period of coma and a full period of rehabilitation."

Doctors say help is available and new treatment is constantly being developed, like the "Active Rehabilitation Approach.

"It may be possible to improve recovery if we start reimplementing exercise at what they call a subthreshold level which doesn't necessarily mean going back to contact or anything like that but having a monitored exercise program that helps rebuild endurance and help with the healing of the brain," said Spohr.

If you'd like to help support advancements like this, the Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska is holding a fundraiser Thursday night at the Archway in Kearney. It will feature Clete Blakeman, a NFL referee and former Huskers quarterback, as he discusses concussions and football. You can call (402) 661-9611, and leave a voicemail, for tickets.

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Annual brain injury conference focuses on latest treatment ... - NTV