Articles Posted in Brain Injury

Each year, Florida residents sustain serious and even life-threatening head injuries in Homestead and across the state. These injuries are caused by a number of accidents, including car accidents, pool injuries, sports-related accidents, slip and fall accidents in Homestead, and other causes. Head injuries range from concussions to epidural hematoma and while some patients recover fully from their injuries others suffer fatal complications or find their lives forever changed by their injuries.

Why Head Injuries are So Easy to Miss

One problem with serious head injuries is that symptoms do not always occur right away. In some cases, it takes hours or even days for symptoms to manifest. Another problem is that many people assume that if they do not hit their head hard, they are not at risk. This is not the case. Even a minor injury to the head can result in a serious and life-threatening head injury. Another problem with serious head injuries is that many people do not notice symptoms or do not think that their symptoms are related to their head injury.

For all these reasons, head injuries can be hard to diagnose. It is therefore important to see a doctor if you have sustained any head injury – even if it seemed relatively minor and you do not yet have symptoms. If you have been in a truck, car or motorcycle accident in Homestead or have sustained a bump to the head in any other way, get it checked out at once by a medical professional.

Symptoms to Watch Out For

If you sustain any head injury – even a minor bump to the head – and experience any of these symptoms, seek emergency medical help immediately:

• Headaches – especially severe, sudden headaches
• Vision problems – such as seeing stars or blurry vision
• Loss of consciousness
• Convulsions or spasms
• Memory problems or memory loss
• Stiffness in the neck area or the back of the head
• Vomiting or nausea
• Confusion or disorientation
• Uncharacteristic or off behavior or impulses
• Lack of balance or difficulty walking
• Dizziness
• Weakness in the legs and arms
• Changes to the pupils, dilated pupils or uneven pupils
• Fatigue, sleepiness or drowsiness
• Ringing or other unusual sounds in the ears
• Difficulty speaking or slurred speech
• Lack of appetite
• Bleeding from the nose or ears
• Clear fluid coming from the nose or ears
Even if the symptoms seem relatively mild or minor, it is safer to get them checked out rather than risk serious complications.

Types of Head Injuries

Sports-related head injuries are extremely common across Florida and across the country. They are especially tragic because in many cases these injuries affect children and young people playing contact sports. Although there is more awareness about sports concussions, in many cases players do not notice or report mild symptoms of head injuries while playing. This can lead to a secondary head injury when players return to the sport.

Another common type of head injury in Homestead is epidural hematoma. This type of injury occurs when the head is bumped and a blood vessel is damaged, leading to a blood clot or bleeding between the brain and the skull. The injury places pressure on the brain and can result in fatalities unless it is treated right away. In many cases, patients experience few or no symptoms, even if the condition is life-threatening. In many tragic cases, patients wait too long to seek help because the symptoms are so mild.

Continue reading →

Each day, people who are involved in car accidents in Miami as well as other accidents sustain serious head injuries. For patients who have sustained a serious head injury in Miami or anywhere in South Florida, the results can be devastating. These types of injuries often affect a person’s everyday life and are often very complex and expensive to treat. The decisions you make immediately following your accident or injury can determine how quickly and how well you heal. The biggest mistakes that people make after sustaining a head injury include:

1) Not seeking medical help at once. Any head injury could result in life-threatening injuries. Each year, head injury patients in Miami and across Florida sustain serious or even fatal complications because they do not seek medical help in time. Only a medical professional can tell you whether you have sustained a serious head injury or not. Always err on the side of caution and seek medical help if you have sustained any type of head injury – even if you do not yet have symptoms and seem to be fine.

2) Not keeping close track of symptoms. Keeping close track of symptoms with a written record does two things. First, it gives you documentation to show your attorney in the event that you decide to pursue a legal claim. Secondly, it helps you to notice symptoms that you may dismiss but that could point to a serious condition. If you are having headaches or dizzy spells each day, you may not notice – unless you are keeping track. Sometimes, head injuries have very subtle symptoms that are hard to catch.

3) Not taking extra precautions against additional head injury. If you already have one head injury, additional head injuries can become life-threatening or can seriously complicate your condition. After sustaining a head injury, you will want to ensure that you wear helmets for any contact sports, bicycle riding, or motorcycle riding you do. You want to take every precaution you can against head injury to ensure that you do not worsen your condition.

4) Returning to regular activities too soon. If you have sustained a serious head injury, you will want to speak with your doctor before returning to regular activities such as bicycle riding, contact sports, and other physical exertions. If you sustain injuries in a bicycle accident in Miami or your community or if you are injured in a motorcycle accident in Miami or your community while you already have a head injury, the results could be life-threatening. Do not take risks with your health. Make sure that you speak with your doctor about which activities you can return to and follow the doctor’s timetable for recovery.

5) Not speaking with a personal injury attorney. If you have suffered a head injury in Miami or anywhere in South Florida, you’re probably aware that the medical costs associated with this type of injury are quite high. It is not unusual for someone with a serious head injury to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in replacement income and medical bills in the first few years of their injury. In addition to the medical scans necessary to treat such an injury, serious head injuries may require surgery, rehabilitation, and many other expensive treatments. If your injury was caused by someone’s negligence or recklessness, you may be able to seek compensation. Speaking with a personal injury attorney in Miami or your community can help you get answers and can help you safeguard your financial future.

Continue reading →

Experts agree that helmets are one of the best ways to avoid serious head injury. Each year in Coral Gables, head injuries occur because people do not wear helmets while bicycling or taking part in sports that require a helmet. Childhood head injuries caused by sports injuries or bicycle accidents can be especially traumatic, since studies have shown that children can face an especially challenging road to recovery after head trauma.

If you are a parent, you will want to make sure that your child is always protected by a helmet while bicycling or taking part in contact sports. Getting teens and children to wear helmets, however, can be tricky. If you are having trouble, you will want to:

1) Give your child the option of choosing their own helmet and accessories. If your child chooses a helmet that they like, they are more likely to wear it. There are also many accessories that are designed to make helmets fun and appealing for children and teens. Take a look at some of these accessories with your child. If it makes your child want to wear a helmet, it can help them stay safe.

2) Consider investing in more than one helmet. Having more than one helmet to choose from can be appealing, especially for teens. Multiple helmets mean that the helmets are easy to find when they are needed and when a child grows tired of the look of one helmet, they have others to try. It is an investment to buy multiple helmets, but it is worth it. Those who are injured in contact sports or in bicycle accidents in Coral Gables and other communities increase their risk of survival and decrease their risk of serious injury by wearing a helmet.

3) Talk with your child about head injuries. Children and teens may not think that head injuries can happen to them. Talk to your child, using real life examples of children their age who have been injured. Talk to them about celebrities – including NHL player Sydney Crosby – who have sustained head injuries. There are many good resources online that can help drive the message home. Look up examples of head injuries to children and teens in Coral Gables or your community so that your children can see that these types of injuries can happen to anyone – and that wearing a helmet can prevent these injuries.

4) Make sure you set rules about helmet use. Make it clear exactly when children are expected to wear helmets – when taking part in specific contact sports and when bicycling. Go over how to fasten a helmet correctly and write down the rules about helmet use. Review them often. Make sure that you explain which privileges will be revoked if your child breaks these rules.

Continue reading →

If you are a head injury patient in Fort Lauderdale or any Florida city, there are many challenges that you may face on your road to recovery:

1) The symptoms of some head injuries can be tricky to detect. Symptoms can include headaches, memory loss, nausea, dizziness, confusion, fatigue, ringing in the ears, poor balance, personality changes, irritability, and other symptoms. Symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient and different types of brain trauma present different symptoms. An even more serious problem is that some brain injury patients do not experience any symptoms at first, even if they have a serious or even life-threatening brain injuries. This can prevent some patients from getting help in time.

2) Head injuries can affect a patient’s ability to communicate with their doctor. Issues like memory loss and confusion can make it hard for patients to communicate with their doctors. They may not recall all their symptoms and may have a hard time explaining how they are feeling to a doctor.

3) Not all injuries easily show up on imaging scans. A brain injury occurs when the brain slams up against the hard skull surrounding it. In Fort Lauderdale, slip and fall accidents and traffic accidents are two common causes for brain injury. When the brain is injured in this way, the brain may bruise or there may be bleeding that it is possible to detect with a scan. A concussion occurs when the brain is moved inside of the spinal fluid. Usually, this occurs as a result of a knock to the head or some other injury. In many cases, this injury cannot be detected by scans.

4) Head injuries in Fort Lauderdale and other Florida communities are expensive to treat. Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and other larger cities can be expensive places to get treatment, even though some excellent neurologists and doctors work in these cities.

5) Insurance does not always cover all costs associated with a serious head injury. If you have been injured at work, workers compensation in Fort Lauderdale or your community may pay for some of the costs associated with your injury. If you have been injured in a traffic accident in Fort Lauderdale or your community, your insurance carrier may cover some of the costs. In most cases, however, insurers may cover only initial costs. Many costs – such as home care, long-term income loss, rehabilitation – may not be covered. This is one reason why so many brain injury patients turn to a personal injury attorney to recover more compensation for their injuries. The costs not covered by insurance can be substantial.

6) There is not enough awareness about brain injuries. Many patients do not realize that they have sustained a serious brain injury because they may not recognize the symptoms. Patients may also not know what to do and where to turn after being injured.

7) More research is needed. Two patients of the same size and age and with the same type of head injury can recover very differently from their injuries, even when given the same treatment. Doctors do not yet know what that is and more research needs to be done to determine how to help more brain injury patients recover fully.

8) Brain injuries have a devastating impact on patients. It can take years to recover from a serious brain injury, and in some cases these injuries are permanent. Patients who have sustained a serious brain injury may not be able to return to work and may not even be able to complete everyday tasks due to their injuries. In some cases, the trauma of this type of injury can put a strain on families, on finances, and on a patient’s entire life.

Continue reading →

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City have completed a 16-year study of brain injuries and have found that brain injuries increase the risk of re-injury but do not raise the risk of dementia. The study looked at over 4000 older adults and also concluded that a serious brain injury that included unconsciousness increased the risk of death for the brain injury patient for a number of years following the injury. In fact, the study’s authors concluded that a serious head injury leading to loss of consciousness more than doubled the patient’s risk of death in the years following the injury.

Researchers concluded that those who sustained a head injury after the age of 55 were at the greatest risk of re-injury. According to the study authors, this may be because some age-related issues (such as mobility issues and age-related vision problems) may increase the risk of re-injury. Patients who sustained an initial brain injury before the age of 25 had double the risk of a re-injury, when compared with non-injured peers. For injured patients who sustained a serious injury after the age of 55, however, the risk of re-injury was quadruple.

Subsequent injuries after an initial head injury can cause serious symptoms and can create complications for the patient. If you have sustained a head injury, you will want to take extra steps from sustaining a secondary injury. In order to do so:

1) Take time away from higher risk activities, including contact sports. Many head injuries in North Miami and across Florida occur due to contact sports and other high-risk activities. Rather than risk reinjuring yourself, stay away from these activities – even if you wear a helmet – until you are fully healed.

2) Once you recover fully from your injury, wear a helmet when taking part in any high risk activities. Before returning to a sport or other high-risk activity that puts you at risk of a head injury, consult with your doctor first. Only resume a sport once the doctor has given you the go-ahead. Then, wear a helmet and take extra precautions to avoid re-injury.

3) Protect yourself against slip and fall accidents. Slip and fall accidents in North Miami and across Florida are a leading cause of head injuries, especially for the elderly. You can help prevent head injuries caused by slip and fall injuries in a number of ways. First, you can ensure that you take care of your vision and that you have good visibility to prevent slip and fall injuries. Secondly, you can wear practical shoes that provide good support and good treads. Finally, you can make sure that your property is safer for you by removing rugs and other obstacles that can pose a trip hazard.

If you have sustained a personal injury in North Miami that you believe was caused by someone’s recklessness or negligence, contact a local personal injury attorney for legal advice and assistance. You may be entitled to compensation that can help pay for medical care, lost income, travel expenses to doctors’ appointments, and other costs related to your injury.

Continue reading →

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by researcher Navindra Persaud has concluded that cyclists who ride without helmets are three time more likely to suffer a fatal head injury when compared with cyclists who do wear helmets.

Experts agree that helmets are the best way to prevent Davie head injuries caused by bicycle accidents and Davie motorcycle accidents. However, despite educational programs, some bicyclists still make the decision to ride without a helmet. To prevent injuries, however, it is important to always wear a helmet when on a bicycle (or motorcycle). There are a few ways to do this:

1) Know that not all helmets are the same. Wearing any helmet is not enough. It is important that the helmet meets current safety regulations and has never been in an accident. For these two reasons, it is important to buy a helmet new. New helmets that provide protection against injury are available in all price points, so there is no need to spend a lot of money to stay safe.

2) Get a helmet you will enjoy wearing. Shop around to find a helmet that you really like – you will be more likely to wear it if it is a style you enjoy.

3) Make it easy to wear a helmet each time you ride. Keep your helmet by your bicycle at all times and consider having an extra helmet on hand, just in case. Your helmet cannot help you in a Davie bicycle accident if you are not wearing it.

4) Think beyond the helmet. Just wearing a helmet is not enough. Make sure you follow traffic rules and laws. Stay alert and visible. Make eye contact with motorists sharing the road so that they see you.

5) Ensure a proper fit. Helmets need to stay on your head to protect you in an accident. If your helmet is too loose and flies off, it will not protect you from a Davie head injury. When buying a helmet, check carefully to ensure that the helmet does not move more than an inch in any direction when you shake your head. The helmet should also not come off when you shake your head. If you are buying a helmet for a child, check the helmet’s fit every few months to ensure that the child has not grown out of their helmet.

6) Refuse to ride your bicycle without a helmet. Preventing a Davie drunk driving accident comes down to one thing: motorists refusing to drive after drinking. Preventing bicycle-related head injuries comes down to a similar thing: bicyclists refusing to ride without a properly fitted and secured helmet. If you lose your helmet or it becomes damaged, walk or take another mode of transportation until you can replace your helmet.

7) Make your helmet visible. Always wear reflective clothing when bicycling – clothing that makes it easy for motorists to see you. You can make yourself more visible on the road by choosing reflective helmets or helmets with lights on them.

Continue reading →

There are many types of Coral Gables head injuries, often resulting from Coral Gables slip and fall accidents, traffic accidents, sports injuries, and other types of accidents. One of the most common types of head injuries, however, is the concussion. A concussion can occur when the head is bumped or hit or in cases where the head moves rapidly back and forth. In any case where the brain is jolted enough to crash against the hard skull, head injuries can occur.

While Coral Gables concussions are considered one of the more mild forms of brain injury, they can have serious effects. Concussions can cause memory problems, confusion, coordination problems, headaches, memory loss, dizziness, drowsiness, light sensitivity, sleep disorders, loss of consciousness, noise sensitivity, vision problems, and other symptoms. In addition to these unpleasant problems, Coral Gables head injury patients are at risk of complications – even serious complications — if they sustain a secondary head injury before their concussion. If you have been in a Coral Gables car accident or have possibly sustained a head injury in some other way, it is important to seek medical help at once to get an accurate diagnosis of your condition. Be sure to seek medical advice at once if you have any symptoms, especially.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.7 million Americans suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. About 275 000 head injury patients are hospitalized and in about 52 000 cases the head injuries prove fatal. In about 75% of all traumatic brain injury cases, the head injury is a concussion. The top causes of a concussion are falls, traffic accidents, unintentionally striking an obstacle, assault, and sports injuries.

When a patient is admitted with a possible Coral Gables head injury, doctors will often rely on imaging tests and other CT scans to see whether a head injury has occurred. If a patient has a concussion, a doctor will often advise rest and plenty of sleep. The patient will also be told to avoid alcohol, physically demanding activities, video games, and prolonged computer use. Patients will need to be careful to avoid a second concussion, as this can cause serious complications. For this reason, patients are often told not to play contact sports and take part in other activities which can lead to another head injury.

Continue reading →

According to the Boston Children’s Hospital, about half of all school football players sustain an injury during the season and the hospital is seeing a worrying trend in overuse injuries and head injuries. For Florida teens, Miami Beach head injuries are a serious concern for student athletes and their parents, but according to experts there are several things that parents can do to help prevent Miami Beach injuries to teens and children who play sports:

1) Get your child to the doctor for a check-up before your child starts a new sport or a new sports season. A check-up can check for existing injuries and any problems with the lungs or heart that could put your child at risk. Most adults get a check-up before starting a new exercise regimen, and it can be equally important for children.

2) Encourage your child to warm up before games and practices. Warm ups get the muscles warm and the blood flowing, reducing the risk of an injury, especially overuse injuries.

3) Make sure your child gets plenty of practice and training before games. Inexperienced players are more likely to sustain broken bones, Miami Beach spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and other types of injuries because they may not use their bodies in optimal ways or may be out of position. Using incorrect techniques or positions can also lead to stress fractures easily. If your child needs additional help, speak with a coach or teacher to get additional training.

4) Get your child the right sports equipment. Any contact sports require a helmet that fits correctly and is used every time a practice or game takes place. The helmet should be replaced if your child is in a sports-related accident or if your child outgrows the helmet. Supportive, well-fitted shoes are also important for preventing stress fractures. In addition, depending on the sport your child plays, your child may require additional safety equipment.

5) Ensure that your child and child’s school knows the symptoms of a Miami Beach head injury and has a policy in place after any possible head injury. Players who have sustained a head injury may have headaches, vision problems, or dizziness. Symptoms may not develop for 24 hours, so it is important that any child who has sustained a possible head injury is removed from the game and is observed closely for any symptoms carefully.

Continue reading →

Wearing the right helmet while biking or taking part in contact sports can dramatically reduce your risk of a Fort Lauderdale head injury. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the correct use of helmets can reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 85%. Wearing a helmet while bicycling can be especially important, as the Snell Memorial Foundation reports that the number of serious head injuries caused by bicycling accidents outnumbers the number of head injuries caused by sports injuries and horseback riding. The first step in protecting yourself against a serious brain injury in a Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident is to choose the right helmet. You can do so by:

1) Checking fit first. A proper bicycle helmet will fit snugly and will not move more than an inch any way when you move your head. In a Fort Lauderdale traffic accident, if you are thrown from your bicycle your head will be tossed about and a loose-fitting helmet will likely fall off, leaving you with no protection against injury. If you are not sure about fit, try on many helmets to get a sense of how different helmets fit, and then ask a sales person at a reputable bicycle store for help with proper fitting.

2) Buying a safe helmet. Look for a newer model of helmet that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) standards. Avoid older helmets, especially used helmets. Older helmets may not be as safe because they may not meet current safety standards while used helmets may have been in an accident and may no longer offer much protection. The good news is that there are plenty of affordable new helmets that meet CSPC standards.

3) Choosing a helmet that offers visibility. Helmets with reflectors, lights, or light colors will make it easier for motorists to spot you. Experts consider a white helmet to be the most visible in night conditions. Even if you are wearing a highly visible helmet, however, make sure that you use lights on your bicycle and choose the rest of your clothing to be highly visible, as well. A high-visibility helmet alone may not be enough.

4) Considering a helmet with attachable mirrors. This acts as a rear-view mirror and allows you to see behind you, which is important in avoiding Fort Lauderdale car collisions. You can also get an attachable rear-view mirror for your glasses. Both tend to let you see behind you more effectively than standard handlebar-mounted mirrors.

5) Thinking about style. Choose a helmet that you love to wear, so that you will always be happy to ride with your helmet. Style is especially important for kids and teens; children may be more enthusiastic about wearing a helmet if their helmet is “cool.”

Continue reading →

Hialeah bicycle accidents can cause serious injury, including scrapes, broken bones, spinal injuries, and other serious injuries. Bicyclists are also subject to Hialeah head injuries, one of the most common types of injuries sustained by bicyclists – and among the most preventable. Research has shown that bike helmets can reduce the risk of severe head injury by 88%, but many bicyclists choose to run the risk of a Hialeah brain injury by not wearing a helmet properly. There are many things that can be done to help reduce the risk of a head injury:

1) Wear a helmet whenever skateboarding, biking, or roller-skating. If a helmet is going to help you prevent a serious Hialeah personal injury, you need to wear it all the time. Even just going once without a helmet can mean an injury if you are unfortunate enough to be in an accident that once. Make it a habit to wear a helmet whenever engaging in any sport that requires it.

2) Make it easy to wear a helmet all the time. Get a helmet that it attractive and is comfortable, so that you do not mind wearing it. There are many style options today for helmets, so it is easy to shop around to find something you like. Consider buying more than one helmet, so that there is never an excuse not to wear one. Keep a helmet close to your bike, skateboard, roller-skates or any other item that requires the use of a helmet. You are more likely to wear a helmet if you don’t have to hunt for it.

3) Never buy a used helmet or use a helmet after it has been hit. Even if the helmet looks fine, it could have sustained damage inside and may not protect you in an accident.

4) Ensure a proper fit. The bottom rim of the helmet should be visible to you when you are wearing the helmet and look up. The straps should be comfortable under the ears and form a “v.” When you open your mouth wide when wearing a helmet, the helmet should cup the head. To compare fit, try on multiple helmets and have an experienced bicyclist or salesperson help you find the right fit.

5) Give your helmet the shake test. If you are in a Hialeah car accident when riding your bicycle, your helmet can only protect you if it stays on. Make sure that your helmet stays on even when you shake your head. If it does not, it is not the correct fit.

6) Secure the helmet with straps each time you wear it. Not using the straps is as bad as not wearing a helmet at all, since the helmet will likely fall off your head if you are in a Hialeah bicycle accident and offer no protection at all. In a bicycle accident, you are likely to be thrown from your bike, so it is important that your helmet stays on firmly.

Continue reading →