Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

All brain injuries are serious. Some are life-threatening. But in many cases treatmentand healingis indeed possible. In fact, a high percentage of brain injury patients go on to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Long after rehabilitation has been completed, people with a brain injury need to sustain the gains made in rehabilitation to remain independent. Our goal is to make that outcome a reality. The Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute (NRI) is an internationally recognized center for the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals over the age of 18 dealing with traumatic brain injuries and other neurological disorders. Located on the park-like campus of Brookhaven Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, NRI goes beyond traditional rehabilitation care to provide victims of traumatic brain injury with one of the most comprehensive and advanced treatment programs in America, offering complex care rehabilitation, intensive neurobehavioral rehabilitation and TBI dual diagnosis treatment. This highly individualized treatment program, created by our interdisciplinary team of neurological specialists, is tailored to each patients unique set of needsbut the goal is always the sameto give individuals who have experienced a severe brain injury the highest level of independence possible. NRI offers a wide range of treatment options and services including: In addition, our … Continue reading →

Welcome to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) Brain injury is not an event or an outcome. It is the startof a misdiagnosed, misunderstood, under-funded neurological disease.People who sustain brain injuries must have timely access to experttrauma care, specialized rehabilitation, lifelong disease management,and individualized services and supports in order to live healthy,independent, and satisfying lives. BIAA's mission is to advanceawareness, research, treatment, and education and toimprove the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. Weare dedicated to increasing access to quality health care and raisingawareness and understanding of brain injury. With a network of state affiliates, local chapters, and support groups, we are the voice ofbrain injury. Please contact your elected officials and tell them that now is the time to permanently repeal the Medicare therapy cap. Congress needs to take action. What can you do? Call your electe.. Read More... The Brain Injury Association of Ameirca (BIAA) is pleased to announce that Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, co-chaired by Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Thomas J. Rooney (R-Fla.), has.. Read More... The latest edition of THE Challenge! is now available for free download. This issue, "Being Your Best Self," features inspirational stories by brain … Continue reading →

Diagnosis Because traumatic brain injuries are usually emergencies and because consequences can worsen swiftly without treatment, doctors usually need to assess the situation rapidly. This 15-point test helps a doctor or other emergency medical personnel assess the initial severity of a brain injury by checking a person's ability to follow directions and move their eyes and limbs. The coherence of speech also provides important clues. Abilities are scored numerically in the Glasgow Coma Scale. Higher scores mean less severe injuries. If you observed someone being injured or arrived immediately after an injury, you may be able to provide medical personnel with information that's useful in assessing the injured person's condition. Answers to the following questions may be beneficial in judging the severity of injury: Tissue swelling from a traumatic brain injury can increase pressure inside the skull and cause additional damage to the brain. Doctors may insert a probe through the skull to monitor this pressure. Mild traumatic brain injuries usually require no treatment other than rest and over-the-counter pain relievers to treat a headache. However, a person with a mild traumatic brain injury usually needs to be monitored closely at home for any persistent, worsening or new symptoms. He … Continue reading →

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY The Brain Injury Associationof America and its network of state affiliates striveto connect people with useful, accurate information and resources in their area.If you or a family member are struggling with the effects of a brain injury, or think you may have sustained a brain injury, there is help. Here are some useful first steps: This page offers helpful definitions and terms you might hear used.Use this page to help you understand brain injury a little better. Use the resources on other pages as well. DefinitionsTypes of brain injuryCausesOutcomesSeverity of brain injuryTips for recovery Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)TBI is defined as an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force. Adopted by the Brain Injury Association Board of Directors in 2011. This definition is not intended as an exclusive statement of the population served by the Brain Injury Association of America. Acquired Brain InjuryAn acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain, which is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that has occurred after birth. There is sometimes confusion about what is considered an acquired brain … Continue reading →

On March 19, 2012, Brian Grundtner fell 50 feet during an airborne training jump, sustaining multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. Four years later, the former special operations staff sergeant overcame his TBI to graduate from the Carlson School of Management with his Masters of Business Administration. Grundtner, a native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, said he chose the University for its military veterans MBA program. I think the biggest factor for me was the veterans initiative and the emphasis on integrating veterans into the whole MBA program, Grundtner said. It really helped with the transition out of the military and into the civilian world. Retired naval officer Charles Altman, the MBA military veterans program director, said financial assistance make the University's one of the best programs for veterans. Twenty percent of Carlsons full-time MBA students are veterans and all of them get scholarships, Altman said. Those who complete the program have a 100 percent employment rate after graduation. In a lot of cases what veterans need more than anything else is a leg up this funding provides them that, Altman said, adding he spent time getting to know Grundtner while he was a student. Dave Hopkins, a … Continue reading →

The study of Hartings and colleagues found that bleeding onto the surface of the brain (a subarachnoid clot) can directly cause the death (infarct) of the affected brain gray matter the cerebral cortex. Progression to death is mediated by repetitive brain tsunamis (cortical spreading depolarizations), shown here by blue waves and arrows, that spread through the cortex. Brain tsunamis reduce blood supply to the brain (cortical spreading ischemia) and impair brain function, resulting in flatline (terminal depolarization) as the tissue dies. Brain tsunamis were first described in 1944 by Aristides Leo and today are measured in patients with electrodes placed on the brain surface. Credit: Illustration by Tonya Hines, Mayfield Clinic The phrase "time is brain" could take on new meaning when applied to the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of bleeding stroke, thanks to research partially funded by the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation and the United States government. Subarachnoid hemorrhage, caused by the rupture of a brain aneurysm, affects an estimated 10 to 15 of every 100,000 individuals each year. An international team of researchers has established that the blood from this type of hemorrhage launches deadly "brain tsunamis" within hours, leading to permanent brain damage. This … Continue reading →

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Author: Kathryn Schneider, Assistant Professor, Clinician Scientist (Physiotherapist), Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary Recognize, remove, rest and recover before returning to sport. Those are key points about sport-related concussion stated in the 5th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. The Canadian Guidelines on Concussion in Sport have been developed based on this statement and were recently released by Parachute Canada, a charitable organization focused on injury prevention, and its expert advisory group. The good news is that most people who suffer a concussion will recover in the initial days and weeks following injury. However, some will have ongoing symptoms. While concussions may occur in sport, there are many benefits to physical activity and sport participation for both youth and adults. I am a physiotherapist and researcher (assistant professor and clinician scientist) at the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary. My research focuses on the prevention and treatment of sport-related concussion in children, youth and adults, with special emphasis on the role of the neck … Continue reading →

Photographee.eu/ShutterstockSome of the early symptoms of Alzheimers Disease are the same as those of depression, including apathy and irritability. As a result, many patients with Alzheimers Disease (AD) are prescribed antidepressant medications. A group of scientists from the University of Eastern Finland were concerned that this practice could be increasing the risk of head and brain injuries among AD patients. Heres why: First, AD is a disease associated primarily with the elderly. Second, antidepressant use among the elderly is associated with an increased risk of falling down. Finally, falling down is the number one cause of head and brain injuries in the elderly (compare this to younger people, who more often experience head injuries as a result of motor vehicle, sports, and other accidents). Since there were no existing studies investigating the risk of head or brain injuries associated with antidepressant use, let alone studies that focused on the AD patients or even the elderly, the Finnish scientists took it upon themselves to investigate whether antidepressant use is associated not only with an increased risk of falling, but also with an increased risk of head and brain injury in Alzheimers patients. What they found is that the use of antidepressants … Continue reading →

A father who was left severely brain damaged after Royal Perth Hospital doctors failed to act in a timely way to diagnose and treat his bacterial meningitis has been awarded more than $7million in damages. In a judgment handed down in the District Court last week, Judge Patrick ONeal ruled Peter Panagoulias was entitled to the multimillion-dollar payout after finding failures by hospital staff left him with disabilities that are properly described as tragic. Mr Panagoulias was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2005 and, while it was benign, he had surgery in 2006 to have it removed. According to the judgment, the first surgery, at Mount Hospital, was unsuccessful in removing the entire tumour and Mr Panagoulias went under the knife again in September 2007. During that procedure, neurosurgeon Emil Popovic nicked Mr Panagoulias carotid artery, causing a major bleed, and the surgery was abandoned. The bleed was treated, but over the next three weeks Mr Panagoulias, then 40, complained of headaches and a constant discharge from his nose. On October 6, he presented to the RPH emergency department with a severe headache. Despite doctors suspecting he may have had bacterial meningitis, Mr Panagoulias was not given antibiotics until … Continue reading →

One man's story Fed up with the unrelenting pain and feeling despondent about his life, Gerald Duvall stuck the loaded gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger.The arthritis in his knees and feet, the herniated disc in his back and the effects of a brain injury had become overwhelming. After serving 10 years in the Army that included five deployments to the Middle East, Duvall came back home to Monroe and battled feelings of worthlessness and depression. And he drank.But the alcohol mixing with the 20-some prescription pills he ingested daily led to blackouts that were confusing and frightening. And when he did pull that trigger, the gun simply clicked. It was a misfire. And it was also a sign.I said to myself: What am I doing? Duvall recalled. It meant that I needed to be here.During one of his blackouts, he drove and was pulled over. Arrested for drunken driving, Duvall could have become another statistic, another defendant in the criminal justice system. Instead, he entered Veterans Treatment Court. And after a year of counseling, treatment and supervision Duvall is now much more content and has remained sober for the past six months.They really do care, Duvall said. … Continue reading →