Brain Injuries Arkansas

There are many reasons for brain injuries. Some, known as acquired brain injuries, result from issues such as stroke, heart disease, meningitis, brain tumors, illegal drug use and alcohol abuse. The majority of brain injuries, however, are traumatic brain injuries, resulting from such incidents as falls, assaults, motor vehicle accidents and sporting incidents.

Traumatic brain injuries can occur in two ways. A person who receives a direct blow to the head can suffer brain injury if the blow is hard enough to damage the brain inside the skull. An even harder blow can actually break the skull and injure the brain directly. Blows to the head that cause brain injury can occur when the head hits a stationary object as happens in falls and motor vehicle accidents. Brain injury can also result from physical assault when an object is used to strike the head.

The other way in which a traumatic brain injury can occur is from a fast acceleration and deceleration of the head, resulting from such situations as involvement in a motor vehicle accident or being shaken violently. This type of movement can cause the brain to move backwards and forwards inside the skull. During the movement, nerve fibers and brain tissue can be damaged.

The three levels of traumatic brain injury are mild, moderate and severe. With mild brain injuries the person may be confused and dazed or may lose consciousness for a few minutes or seconds. Although this condition, known as a concussion, lasts only a short time it is seen as evidence that there has been an alteration to the brain functioning.

Moderate brain injuries occur when the loss of consciousness lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. After regaining consciousness, the person may remain confused for days or weeks. There may be some temporary or permanent physical or cognitive changes.

The most serious level of brain injury is classed as severe, with unconsciousness lasting from days to months. There are also several subgroups of the severe brain injury classification. These include coma, vegetative state, persistent vegetative state, minimally responsive state, akinetic mutism and locked-in syndrome.

Whether classed as mild, moderate or severe, all brain injuries are serious medical conditions. If you suspect you or another person has any type of brain injury you should seek immediate help. Contact a doctor in Arkansas, go to a hospital emergency area, or call the emergency help number for assistance.

The effects of brain injuries can include a range of symptoms that have the effect of altering a person’s life pattern and leading to dependence on others. Among the physical symptoms there may be restlessness, headaches, and continual exhaustion. Loss of balance, dizziness and partial paralysis may be experienced. In some cases the patient will even have to learn to walk again or may be unable to perform coordinated movement, including speech. There can also be epileptic seizures, incontinence and problems with swallowing.

Among the emotional effects of brain injury are depression and anxiety, including panic attacks and an inability to cope with normal, everyday tasks. There may also be outbursts of anger, often triggered by apparently insignificant causes. The person suffering from the brain injury can also become self-centered and lacking in motivation.

The suffering resulting from brain injuries extends to the families of the patients. Whatever the age and family role of the injured person, difficulties with interpersonal relationships and general stress often develop within the families of those with brain injuries. Whether the person who suffered the brain injury was the main income provider or the homemaker, long-term disabilities can cause financial as well as emotional problems. In the case of a young person suffering brain injury, parents may have to come to terms with the need for providing a lifetime of emotional and financial support for their child.

Becker & Becker

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