Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Shepherd Center's Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program has a full continuum of services totreat people who have experienced a traumaticornon-traumatic brain injury, includinga stroke. Ourprogramsare designed to treat specific conditions, such disorders of consciousness(when a person is in a minimally conscious state following brain injury) and specific age groups, such as ouradolescent program.Additionally, Shepherd Center has a 10-bed ICU, allowing our specialists tosee complex brain injuriesand addresssecondary complications resulting from theinjury. Call our admissions department at 404-350-7345 to initiate a referral to Shepherd Center. Our post-acute services include a day and residential program, outpatient services,a care program that assesses long term needs of patients, aprogram for military members with mild TBI/PTSD (called the SHARE Military Initiative), and respite and long term care. Get to know Shepherd Center. Download a PDF of our brochure. Read our patient testimonialsand fact sheet to get an in-depth view of our Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program. Download our video series: Understanding Brain Injury Make a Referral to Shepherd Center Shepherd Centers brain injury rehabilitation program is managed by physiatrists and a multidisciplinary team of specialists, and coordinated by case managers who develop discharge plans focused on community reintegration. We have treated thousands of people with brain injuries, … Continue reading →

by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor | March 09, 2016 12:02am ET Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to the brain caused by an outside force. It is a very common brain condition. In 2010, there were about 2.5 million TBI-related deaths, hospitalizations and emergency room visits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than 50,000 people died due to TBI. Among TBI-related deaths from 2006 to 2010, men were about three times as likely to die as women, according to the CDC, and rates were highest for people 65 years and older. Outside forces that can cause TBI include bumps to the head, foreign objects penetrating the skull or the brain violently bouncing or twisting inside of the skull due to a sudden jolt. Concussions are classified as a mild or medium TBI. Those more susceptible to TBI are children, especially newborns to 4-year-olds; young adults, especially those between ages 15 and 24; and adults age 75 and older, according to the Mayo Clinic. "It's critical to protect children from head injuries because their brains are still developing and the tissue isn't fully formed," Dr. Joseph Rempson, co-director of the Center for Concussion Care … Continue reading →

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when any sudden trauma damages the brain. This damage can be localized, affecting only one part of the brain or it can be diffuse, affecting two or more parts of the brain. Traumatic brain injury ranges from mild to severe. Both a closed head injury and a penetrating head injury can cause TBI. A closed head injury means that something violently hits the head or the head violently hits something, but the object does not enter the skull. When an object does pierce the skull and enter the brain tissue, the resulting injury is called a penetrating injury. Both forms of injury can be severe. When an obvious injury occurs to the head, the patient may be unconscious and in need of immediate medical care. If you have experienced trauma to the head, emergency medical workers will focus on your immediate needs. They will try to stabilize you, making sure that you are breathing and that your heart rate and blood pressure are under control. The great concern is that your brain is receiving adequate oxygen. Your airway may need to be opened. Sometimes CPR is necessary to make sure your heart is pumping enough … Continue reading →

Brain damage is an injury that causes the destruction or deterioration of brain cells. In the U.S., every year, about 2.6 million people have some type of brain injury -- whether as a result of trauma, stroke, tumor, or other illnesses, according to the Brain Injury Association of America. About 52,000 die as a result of traumatic brain injury, and more than 5 million Americans who've suffered traumatic brain injury require assistance in performing daily activities. Approximately 130,000 Americans die of stroke each year, according to the National Stroke Association. All traumatic brain injuries are head injuries. But head injury is not necessarily brain injury. There are two types of brain injury: traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury. Both disrupt the brains normal functioning. Both traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury occur after birth. And neither is degenerative. Sometimes, the two terms are used interchangeably. There is a kind of brain damage that results from genetics or birth trauma. It's called congenital brain damage. It is not included, though, within the standard definition of brain damage or traumatic brain injury. Some brain injuries cause focal -- or localized -- brain damage, such as the damage caused when a … Continue reading →

What is a concussion? A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Although there may be cuts or bruises on the head or face, there may be no other visible signs of a brain injury. You don't have to pass out (lose consciousness) to have a concussion. Some people will have obvious symptoms of a concussion, such as passing out or forgetting what happened right before the injury. But other people won't. With rest, most people fully recover from a concussion. Some people recover within a few hours. Other people take a few weeks to recover. Why Do You Always Get Lost? Jessica Levin never gets lost. "I have a weirdly good sense of direction," says the 33-year-old president of a marketing company in Edison, N.J. "If I've been to a place before, even 10 or 20 years earlier, I can go back and know how to get around." People like Levin don't have an innate sense of direction. What they do have is outstanding recognition and spatial memory: that is, the parts of … Continue reading →

Adequate oxygen is vital for the brain. Many factors can cause the brain to receive inadequate oxygen. When oxygen levels are significantly low for four minutes or longer, brain cells begin to die and after five minutes permanent anoxic brain injury can occur. Anoxic brain injury which is also called cerebral hypoxia or hypoxic-anoxic injury (HAI) is a serious, life-threatening injury; it can cause cognitive problems and disabilities. Some HAI injuries are due to a partial lack of oxygen; the term hypoxic means partial lack. Other HAI injuries are due to a complete lack of oxygen; the term anoxic means total lack. The greater the loss of oxygen, the more wide-spread and serious the injury will be. The death of brain cells interrupts the brains electrochemical impulses and interferes with the performance of neurotransmittersthe chemical messengers which transmit messages within the brain. The neurotransmitters regulate body functions and influence behavior. For example, the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine help regulate moods, while the endorphins increase pleasure and control pain. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine plays an important role in memory. There are four types of anoxia, but each can cause the same serious damage to the brain. Usually HAI will begin with … Continue reading →

Head Injury (cont.) Head Injury Symptoms It is important to remember that a head injury can have different symptoms and signs, ranging from a patient experiencing no initial symptoms tocoma. A high index of suspicion that a head injury may exist is important, depending upon the mechanism of injury and the initial symptoms displayed by the patient. Being unconscious, even for a short period of time is not normal. Prolonged confusion, seizures, and multiple episodes of vomiting should be signs that prompt medical attention is needed. In some situations, concussion-type symptoms can be missed. Patients may experience difficulty concentrating, increased mood swings, lethargy or aggression, and altered sleep habits among other symptoms. Medical evaluation is always wise even well after the injury has occured. Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 9/4/2015 Alcohol intoxication is defined as when the quantity of alcohol the person consumes produces behavioral or physical abnormalities. Alcohol is the generic ...learn more >> See the original post: Head Injury (Brain Injury) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment ... … Continue reading →

What is concussion and what causes concussion? Concussion describes a brain injury where, after an injury, there are functional changes that occur in how the brain works but no structural damage can be seen on standard imaging tests like CT scan. Mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, can be defined as a short-lived loss of brain function due to head trauma that resolves spontaneously. With concussion, function may be interrupted while there is no structural damage to the brain. The brain floats in cerebrospinal fluid and is encased in the skull. These protections allow it to withstand many of the minor injuries that occur in day-to-day life. However, if there is sufficient force to cause the brain to bounce against the rigid bones of the skull, then there is potential for injury. It is the acceleration and deceleration of the brain against the inside of the skull that can cause the brain to be irritated and interrupt its function. The acceleration can come from a direct blow to the head or face, or from other body trauma that causes the head to shake. While temporary loss of consciousness due to injury means that a concussion has taken place, most concussions … Continue reading →

Adequate oxygen is vital for the brain. Many factors can cause the brain to receive inadequate oxygen. When oxygen levels are significantly low for four minutes or longer, brain cells begin to die and after five minutes permanent anoxic brain injury can occur. Anoxic brain injury which is also called cerebral hypoxia or hypoxic-anoxic injury (HAI) is a serious, life-threatening injury; it can cause cognitive problems and disabilities. Some HAI injuries are due to a partial lack of oxygen; the term hypoxic means partial lack. Other HAI injuries are due to a complete lack of oxygen; the term anoxic means total lack. The greater the loss of oxygen, the more wide-spread and serious the injury will be. The death of brain cells interrupts the brains electrochemical impulses and interferes with the performance of neurotransmittersthe chemical messengers which transmit messages within the brain. The neurotransmitters regulate body functions and influence behavior. For example, the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine help regulate moods, while the endorphins increase pleasure and control pain. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine plays an important role in memory. There are four types of anoxia, but each can cause the same serious damage to the brain. Usually HAI will begin with … Continue reading →

Biology 202 2002 Second Paper On Serendip During the summer of my junior year, a friend of mine, we will call her "Jen", got into a horrible car accident. Apparently sitting in the middle of the backseat, only strapped in with a lap belt, my friend hit her head on the side window, smashing the window upon impact. After 3 weeks of being in a coma, my friend eventually recovered. Even though she was deemed "physically" healed, my friend was truly never the same. Not only had her demeanor and interests changed, but also it seemed as if she had become a completely different person after her accident. I thought it very sad at the time, because the friends who had been close to her before were no longer close. I did not understand what they meant when they said that she had become a different person. Certainly, I realized that she had changed, but I could not fathom that she was now so different that they could no longer treat her like the old "Jen". I believed that this new "Jen" was still the same person as before-that the inner soul with which they had become friends had never … Continue reading →