Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Types of Brain Injury All brain injuries are unique. The brain can receive several different types of injuries depending on the type of force and amount of force that impacts the head. The type of injury the brain receives may affect just one functional area of the brain, various areas, or all areas of the brain. Traumatic Brain Injury Acquired Brain InjuryLevels of Brain Injury Even a concussion can cause substantial difficulties or impairments that can last a lifetime. Whiplash can result in the same difficulties as head injury. Such impairments can be helped by rehabilitation, however many individuals are released from treatment without referrals to brain injury rehabilitation, or guidance of any sort. Penetrating injury to the brain occurs from the impact of a bullet, knife or other sharp object that forces hair, skin, bones and fragments from the object into the brain. Acquired Brain Injury, (ABI), results from damage to the brain caused by strokes, tumors, anoxia, hypoxia, toxins, degenerative diseases, near drowning and/or other conditions not necessarily caused by an external force. Anoxic Brain Injury occurs when the brain does not receive any oxygen. Cells in the brain need oxygen to survive and function. Types of Anoxic … Continue reading →

Overview Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. An object that penetrates brain tissue, such as a bullet or shattered piece of skull, also can cause traumatic brain injury. Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death. Traumatic brain injury can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects. Some signs or symptoms may appear immediately after the traumatic event, while others may appear days or weeks later. The signs and symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury may include: Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries can include any of the signs and symptoms of mild injury, as well as these symptoms that may appear within the first hours to days after a head injury: Infants and young children with brain injuries might not be able to communicate headaches, sensory problems, confusion and similar symptoms. In a child with traumatic brain injury, you may observe: Always see your doctor if you or your child has received a blow to the head or body that concerns … Continue reading →

TBI Treatment Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury Conditions that harm the brain have a wide reach. Whether from a stroke (vascular accident) or a traumatic brain injury, the results impair the whole family. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not a cure . . . . but it can often help. Following is a MUST SEE video from theMontel Williams Show. Even though science now knows better, the old-school idea still often remains: that once an area of the brain has been damaged by a stroke, TBI (traumatic brain injury), or near drowning, that nothing or very little can be done to restore the function of that area. Recent scientific research has demonstrated that while the core-area of the damaged brain tissue may be irreversibly damaged, there is an area surrounding this tissue that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can restore and these neurons (brain/nerve cells) can re-establish their function. The majority of tia, stroke and brain injuries are caused by blood vessel obstructions, such as a blood clot, that cuts off blood flow and oxygen to parts of the brain. This results in the death of nerve cells within a very short time. These dying brain cells begin to swell due … Continue reading →

Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of the neurotrophic factor (neurotrophin, NTFS) family, which can prevent the death of nerve cells and has many features of typical neurotransmitter molecules. NGF plays an important role in the development and growth of nerve cells. NGF is synthesized and secreted by tissues (corneal epithelial, endothelial, and corneal stromal cells), and it can be up-taken by sympathetic or sensory nerve endings and then transported to be stored in neuronal cell bodies where it can promote the growth and differentiation of nerve cells. NGF can exert neurotrophic effects on injured nerves and promote neurogenesis (the process of generating neurons from stem cells) that is closely related to the development and functional maintenance and repair of the central nervous system. It is also capable of promoting the regeneration of injured neurons in the peripheral nervous system, improving the pathology of neurons and protecting the nerves against hypoxia (lack of oxygen)/ischemia (lack of blood supply). Go here to see the original: Stem Cell Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury - Stem Cell ... … Continue reading →

Shepherd Center's Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program offers a full continuum of services to treat people who have experienced a traumatic or non-traumatic brain injury, including a stroke. Our programs are designed to treat specific conditions, such as disorders of consciousness and specific age groups, such as our adolescent program. Additionally, Shepherd Center has a 10-bed ICU, allowing our specialists to treat patients with complex brain injuries and address secondary complications resulting from the injury. Make a Referral to Shepherd Center A brain injury is often associated with a blow to the head, which is called a traumatic brain injury. However, a lack of oxygen to the brain can also result in a brain injury. Learn more about brain injury: U.S. News & World Report ranks Shepherd Center among the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation. Learn about our brain injury program and our outcomes: Shepherd Center provides a variety of programs that are tailored to individual needs for the best possible recovery. Learn about our brain injury programs: Visit link: Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Shepherd Center | Brain Trauma ... … Continue reading →

Pate Rehabilitation provides the same specialized care and support in Spanish as we do in English. Spanish-speaking therapists and caregivers work with each patient and family to develop personalized brain injury programs and tailored plans for better results. This includes therapies conducted in Spanish-speaking environments, enabling patients to practice these skills in their own cultural communities. Our research includes ongoing clinical studies that focus on improving rehabilitation results specifically for diverse groups including Spanish speakers. Read More Physical therapy helps patients improve mobility, reduce pain, and restore function through therapeutic exercise and functional training, and the use of assistive and adaptive devices and equipment. Physical therapy covers many skills and includes: Our occupational therapists (OTs) help patients regain everyday skills, including: From hand dexterity to fine motor skills, OTs work to re-integrate patients into their home, work and school environments. They also focus on evaluating these environments and then recommending adaptations to the environment to fit the persons lifestyle, whether its assistive technologies or task changes. They provide guidance and education for family members, employers and caregivers to assist in the healing process. Our speech/language pathologists help patients regain the ability to: Therapeutic exercises target speech muscle strengthening, language-focused training … 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. See: Brain Injury Statistics There are four types of anoxia, but each can cause the same serious damage to the brain. Usually … Continue reading →

Primary and secondary brain injury are ways to classify the injury processes that occur in brain injury. In traumatic brain injury (TBI), primary brain injury occurs during the initial insult, and results from displacement of the physical structures of the brain.[1] Secondary brain injury occurs gradually and may involve an array of cellular processes.[1][2] Secondary injury, which is not caused by mechanical damage, can result from the primary injury or be independent of it.[3] The fact that people sometimes deteriorate after brain injury was originally taken to mean that secondary injury was occurring.[3] It is not well understood how much of a contribution primary and secondary injuries respectively have to the clinical manifestations of TBI.[4] Primary and secondary injuries occur in insults other than TBI as well, such as spinal cord injury and stroke. In TBI, primary injuries result immediately from the initial trauma.[6] Primary injury occurs at the moment of trauma and includes contusion, damage to blood vessels, and axonal shearing, in which the axons of neurons are stretched and torn.[1] The blood brain barrier and meninges may be damaged in the primary injury, and neurons may die.[7] Cells are killed in a nonspecific manner in primary injury.[8] Tissues … 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 →

TBI Treatment Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury Conditions that harm the brain have a wide reach. Whether from a stroke (vascular accident) or a traumatic brain injury, the results impair the whole family. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not a cure . . . . but it can often help. Following is a MUST SEE video from theMontel Williams Show. Even though science now knows better, the old-school idea still often remains: that once an area of the brain has been damaged by a stroke, TBI (traumatic brain injury), or near drowning, that nothing or very little can be done to restore the function of that area. Recent scientific research has demonstrated that while the core-area of the damaged brain tissue may be irreversibly damaged, there is an area surrounding this tissue that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can restore and these neurons (brain/nerve cells) can re-establish their function. The majority of tia, stroke and brain injuries are caused by blood vessel obstructions, such as a blood clot, that cuts off blood flow and oxygen to parts of the brain. This results in the death of nerve cells within a very short time. These dying brain cells begin to swell due … Continue reading →