Articles Posted in Brain Injury

Chris Nowinski of the Sports Legacy Institute has been giving speeches across the country and raising awareness about head injuries. He has especially been raising awareness about the dangers of brain injuries affecting athletes and young athletes. According to Nowinski, he himself was injured often while playing sports as a young child and a young man and he says that a culture of playing with injuries is causing serious injuries among students and athletes. Nowinski himself was in some cases not diagnosed with a concussion until weeks after the event and he says that he, like many student athletes, was encouraged to keep playing after being hit in the head, as long as he did not appear to be too injured.

In recent years, doctors and researchers have learned more about traumatic brain injury and have learned that repeated so-called minor concussions can lead to serious brain injury. Now, doctors are revising what is known about head injuries. The resulting changes could mean that Miami head injuries may be more common among student athletes than previously thought.

Today, doctors know that being hit in the head and experiencing even minor symptoms – such as mild dizziness, seeing stars, and headaches – can be a sign of a concussion. Doctors have also seen that athletes who sustain multiple head injuries – as a result of a sport, for example – sustain long-term damage. Many sports stars who die suddenly or commit suicide after a long career involving multiple concussions, for example, are found to have extensive brain damage. This new knowledge suggests that Miami students and athletes who sustain a minor concussion or multiple so-called minor concussions may in fact sustain a serious Miami brain injury.

According to researchers, those who are repeatedly hit in the head sustain what is known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The disease can affect normal brain functioning and can lead to cognitive problems, depression, and death.

Part of the problem with Miami brain injuries is that in some cases it can take weeks for symptoms to develop. It can take another month for the brain to heal properly after a concussion and if another head injury develops in this time it can make the situation even more dire. However, after a Miami car accident or sports injury causing a concussion, most people return to everyday activities and even sports quickly, especially if they do not have serious symptoms. Many insurance companies want to resolve car accident claims quickly as well, which can mean that patients may have a hard time getting compensation for injuries if their symptoms take some time to develop. According to Nowinski and other experts, an entirely new approach is need to help patients deal with brain injuries. The entire culture of sports and injury treatment needs to change to ensure that patients with head injuries get the treatment they need to avoid CTE.

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Florida’s Yasser Lopez suffered a traumatic brain injury when an accident involving a fishing spear lodged the spear into his brain, above the right eye, and through the back of the skull. According to doctors, the teen survived the incident because the speak missed major blood vessels in the brain. Lopez’s story is still not finished as the 16-year-old still has much recovery to do. However, his story is giving some Miami brain injury patients hope.

Lopez’s story is not unique, however. There are some cases involving patients who survived devastating brain injuries. For example, in the 1800s Phineas Gage had his head impaled with a tamping iron. While Gage battled infections and suffered a personality change, he largely recovered from his injuries. In 1985, Jackie Nink Pflug suffered brain trauma after being shot in the head during an airplane hijacking. While she survived, her recovery included having to train her eyes to move and having to learn how to tell time and count money. Pflug eventually went on to become a speaker and author. In 1997, Matthew Gross was shot in the head. Since then, he has largely recovered although he still takes seizure medications and he still has trouble controlling his speech.

While these stories may offer hope to patients who have sustained Miami head injuries due to violence, Miami car accidents, or because of other incidents, they are also cautionary tales. Even those patients who do survive these types of devastating injuries require a lifetime of medication, long recovery times, and still find their lives forever changed. Many Miami brain injury victims who sustain very serious brain injuries, however, never recover fully and many do not survive their injuries.

According to experts, the brain is highly adaptable, allowing one area of the brain to take over when an area is injured. This allows some brain injury victims to recover partially from their injuries. The extent to which recovery is possible depends on the type of injury, the area of the brain that is injured, and a person’s own strength of will.

Unfortunately, finances and access to assistance also make a big difference when it comes to recovering from a Miami brain injury. In far too many cases, brain injury patients do not get the help they need in time or do not get all the help they need, which can affect their ability to recover. The story of Danny Rodriguez, for example, is often seen as an example of what happens to patients who do not receive adequate care. Rodriguez survived a gunshot to the head in 2009. However, he was sent home from the hospital before he was even able to use a wheel chair and was discharged from the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center after only five weeks. Experts believe that he did not get the care he needed to recover as fully as possible.

In many cases, finances affect how much access a person has to health care and rehabilitation. It is one reason why many brain injury patients work with Miami personal injury attorneys in order to secure compensation for their injuries, so that they can afford quality care. If a brain injury was caused by a wrongful or negligent act, Florida law does allow the patient to pursue a legal claim to recover the costs of medical care and other expenses related to the injury.

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Raffaele Pilla, Cesar Borlongan, and other researchers at University of South Florida are doing important scientific research into brain injuries, attempting to stimulate cell growth in rat’s brains by using pressurized oxygen in hyperbaric chambers. The scientists hope that their research will offer new insights into how damaged brain tissue can be repaired. If successful, their research could help Miami brain injury patients as well as patients across the country.

The University of South Florida research is exciting because it suggests that in the future oxygen may be able to help patients heal more fully from brain trauma. According to the research, it is possible that stem cells which already exist in the brain and which can become healthy brain cells can be stimulated to heal the brain using the method developed by the scientists. Use of the techniques on humans is still some time away, but eventually the research could help those who have suffered brain damage due to Miami car accidents, strokes, and other forms of trauma.

Early research and experiments on rats seems promising. Rats are placed in hyperbaric chambers and made to breathe in oxygen at high pressure. This pushes the oxygen into the tissues and bloodstream, where it may be able to stimulate the recovery process of damaged brain tissue. Hyperbaric treatments are already used for a variety of injuries, including anemia, Miami burn injuries, and other wounds. However, the USF researchers are studying the use of the method for brain injuries. A 2010 U.S. Veterans Administration report concluded that hyperbaric treatments should be studied further in relation to brain injuries, but the federal government still considers hyperbaric treatments for brain injury to be experimental.

Researchers at USF Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair have been given grants to do further testing and to figure out the specifics of hyperbaric treatments for brain injury patients. In addition to trying to determine the efficiency of the treatments, researchers also hope to determine what doses are needed for brain injury patients and how soon after injury the treatment must be administered. Since too much oxygen can kill brain cells, it is important to determine exact dosage and the right sequence of treatment.

Cesar Borlongan, who heads the research, has spent much of his life trying to determine how to reverse and repair brain damage and has focused on how to use the body’s stem cells to prevent and reverse brain damage. His early research to help stroke victims is already undergoing clinical trials. In those trials, patients are given genetically modified bone-marrow stem cells, which behave like brain cells and activate the stem cells in the brain to repair tissue damage.

If you have been injured and wish to pursue quality medical care, you may wish to speak with a Miami personal injury attorney. Under Florida law, you may be eligible for compensation to cover medical costs, home care, rehabilitation costs, and other expenses related to your injuries. Your case may be worth more than you realize, and consulting with an experienced Miami personal injury attorney can help you understand your options.

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According to a new study released by the Mayo Clinic, more patients may suffer from traumatic brain injuries than previously believed. Based on patient symptoms, researchers at the Mayo Clinic developed a new way of categorizing brain injuries into “possible,” probable,” and “definite” traumatic brain injuries. Using the new system, researchers looked at medical records dating back decades. The researchers concluded that traumatic brain injuries occur in up to 558 per 100 000 patients. Previously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hypothesized that traumatic brain injuries occur in 341 per 100 000 people.

According to the Mayo Clinic, about 60% of the brain injuries they determined were traumatic brain injuries did not classify as such using the CDC categorization system. According to the authors of the Mayo Clinic study, men and the elderly are the highest risk groups for traumatic brain injury. However, they also concluded that younger people were more likely to report symptoms that pointed to a possible brain injury – and symptoms which did not fit the CDC categorization system.

The study may be of interest to Miami Springs brain injury patients, who often sustain their injuries from Miami Springs car accidents, Miami Springs slip and fall accidents, sports injuries, and other types of accidents. Now that the study has come out, some patients and experts are asking the CDC to reconsider its classification system in light of the new findings. Hopefully, the study will help shine a light on brain injuries across the US.

The study will also hopefully raise awareness about Miami Springs brain injuries. The reality is that many brain injury patients do not realize that they have sustained a brain injury following a Miami Springs motorcycle accident, slip and fall, or other accident. In some cases, even serious and fatal brain injuries do not present immediate, obvious symptoms. Someone may hit their head and experience no symptoms initially but still have a serious injury that requires emergency medical attention. In some cases, symptoms are so subtle and come on so gradually that Miami Springs brain injury victims do not notice the symptoms. For these reasons, it is very important to seek medical attention quickly if you have hit your head. It is a good idea to have a medical professional rule out a brain injury rather than brush off an injury as “nothing serious.” Getting prompt medical help can save your life.

If you have sustained a Miami Springs brain injury, your priority should be to get the assistance and the compensation you need to get the best quality medical treatment and other help you may need. For this reason, you may wish to consult with a qualified Miami Springs personal injury attorney. A good attorney can help you understand your rights and the probably costs of your injury, so that you are prepared for your future. A good personal injury attorney can also help you negotiate with your insurance carrier and can otherwise help you to pursue compensation for your injuries.

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Fort Lauderdale car accidents, traffic accidents, and pool incidents cause many brain injuries. Many teen and child Fort Lauderdale brain injury victims, however, sustain their injuries while playing sports. A new bill has passed the Florida Legislature to prevent just these injuries. Senate Bill 256, unanimously passed, was sponsored by Senator Anitere Flores, and aims to prevent student athletes from getting back into the game too soon after a brain injury. The bill has been sent to Governor Rick Scott to be signed.

The bill has the approval of the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and is designed to ensure that there are stricter policies in place to get injured athletes back into the game. The bill raises awareness about the role of brain injuries in sports and ensures that students only are allowed back into the game with a physicians’ approval and after certain precautions have been met.

According to many experts, the bill is much needed because brain injuries are a leading cause of serious injuries to Fort Lauderdale teens and minors. In many cases, brain injuries occur during sports when teens are hit in the head or when they fall onto a hard surface (such as ice). When this occurs, the brain inside the skull bounces against the hard surface and this impact can cause cell death or soft tissue injury. This type of injury is known as traumatic brain injury and it can occur in virtually any sport, including cheerleading, basketball, hockey, football, and others. A Fort Lauderdale brain injury can also occur during a game, practice, tryout, or any other time.

Brain injuries can cause memory loss, confusion, loss of motor skills, and even fatalities. It is vital for athletes to recover fully from their injury before returning to their sport. If an athlete does not fully recover from an injury and sustains a second brain injury, that second injury will likely be more severe and more likely to cause permanent injury or death. There is also research that suggests that teens and children need more time to recover from brain injuries than adults, since children’s brains are still developing and therefore more vulnerable. Yet, experts also note that children are likely to return to a sport well before they are ready.

The Center for Injury Research and Policy reports that about 140 000 student athletes in the nation’s high schools suffer concussions annually and about 40% of those injured athletes return to their sport before it is safe to do so. Part of the problem is that many schools do not have professionals who know how to evaluate brain injuries in the field. A student may feel fine and may return to the game, even though they have suffered a serious and potentially life-threatening injury. Some brain injuries do not exhibit symptoms immediately, which also makes evaluation challenging. It is hoped that the new bill will help prevent serious brain injuries among student athletes.

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March 2012 is Brain Injury Awareness Month. It is a month during which many agencies and private groups will be working to raise awareness about brain injuries and brain injury prevention. North Bay Village brain injury patients and organizations will also be involved in the effort. There are many ways to get involved this month:

1) Donate money or help raise donations for a local brain injury organization. Organizations do many useful things, including assisting patients and supporting research. With many North Bay Village car accident and traffic accident victims affected by brain injuries each year, there is a growing demand for funding.

2) Organize an awareness event at your workplace. Have a discussion or schedule a presentation about preventing workplace injuries, including brain injuries. Unfortunately, brain injuries are commonly caused by workplace injuries and these serious injuries often prevent victims from returning to work. Employees covered by North Bay Village workers compensation find that insurance often does not cover the huge costs of a permanent brain injury. Helping prevent injuries in the workplace is key, and you can combine educational efforts in the workplace with fundraising efforts as well.

3) Speak to a brain injury survivor or speak out if you have survived a brain injury yourself. Brain injuries are considered an “invisible” disability and many people are not aware of the devastating effects of this type of injury. Open discussion helps address this problem.

4) Take a defensive driving course. North Bay Village truck accidents and car accidents are a leading cause of brain injuries, not to mention fatalities. Brushing up on your driving skills can help you prevent a North Bay Village car accident and many types of serious injuries, including brain injuries.

5) Check your sports equipment and helmets. If you ride a bicycle or motorcycle, make sure that you wear a helmet and check that your helmet is in good condition and is a correct fit. If you are in a North Bay Village motorcycle accident or bicycle accident, a good helmet can save your life and can prevent a serious injury. For the same reason, check this month to make sure that any helmets you use for contact sports are in good condition and fit correctly. Replace any helmets that need replacing. It could be the best purchase you make.

6) Avoid high-risk activities. Many brain injuries are caused by risk-taking activities, such as driving without a seat belt, taking part in extreme sports without due precautions, and other risky activities. This month is a good time to review your lifestyle and to make needed changes.

7) Write a letter to an elected representative or your local newspaper, sharing your views about brain injuries. Support legislation that helps brain injury victims and encourage research funding for brain injury victims.

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