“A victim of mild traumatic brain injury will usually appear and move
as if nothing is wrong, despite the fact that they are not feeling well
or thinking normally. ... Constant aggravation while working or
performing household chores may finally convince the victim that they
should seek medical assistance.”
Source: www.traumatic-braininjury.com
TBI, FYI
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury is also referred to as concussion, minor head trauma and minor brain injury. The most common type of TBI is mild, and it usually goes unnoticed at the onset of the injury.
Of mild TBI victims, 15 percent experience symptoms for at least one year following the injury. Symptoms include:
Tiredness
Headache
Impaired eyesight
Inability to remember things
Poor attention span
Inability to sleep through the night
Vertigo
Ill-tempered
Depression
Convulsions
Additional symptoms might include: Queasiness, loss of scent, sensitivity to light and loud noises, mood swings, disorientation, delayed comprehension.
Source: www.traumatic-braininjury.com
Life-altering and costly
Each year in the United States, approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries, ranging from mild to severe; 50,000 people die from TBIs. Approximately 90,000 Americans experience onset of long-term disability from TBIs.
An estimated $56 billion is spent annually in direct and indirect costs as a result of all TBIs.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Abby D. Rehab Center services
The Abby D. Rehab Center, formerly the Speech and Swallow Center, is a full-service speech, language and swallowing clinic that begins treatment with evaluation and diagnosis, provides therapy, and implements maintenance programs. Dr. Laura E. Lenkey is the owner and a primary therapist; she is currently out of town on sabbatical.
Aside from improving a patient’s language skills and communication, another one of the common therapies provided at the center is teaching a stroke or head injury victim to swallow again, according to Beth La Framboise, a speech pathologist there.
Often times, she said, people don’t realize that stroke not only paralyzes outwardly visible bodily functions such as limbs and mouths, but it can also paralyze throat muscles that prevent a person from being able to swallow correctly. When someone is swallowing improperly, food or liquid can enter the lungs and cause serious problems.
Many degenerative diseases also cause loss of ability to swallow/muscle control, including ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimher’s and multiple sclerosis (MS).
“The whole body becomes weak, so it makes sense that the muscles in the throat weaken as well,” La Framboise said.
Staff at the center uses a tool called Vital Stim to stimulate the muscles back into action, combined with oral, written and computer-based therapy.
The five therapists on staff at the Abby D. Rehab Center also are growing their services to include occupational and physical therapy.
For more information, go online to www.speechswallow.com.
How and where the brain gets hurt
Most traumatic brain injuries result in widespread damage to the brain because the brain ricochets inside the skull during the impact of an accident. The brain stem, frontal lobe, and temporal lobes are particularly vulnerable to this because of their location near bony protrusions.
The brain stem is located at the base of the brain. Aside from regulating basic arousal and regulatory functions, the brain stem is involved in attention and short-term memory. Trauma to this area can lead to disorientation, frustration and anger.
The limbic system, higher up in the brain than the brain stem, helps regulate emotions. Connected to the limbic system are the temporal lobes which are involved in many cognitive skills such as memory and language. Damage to the temporal lobes, or seizures in this area, have been associated with a number of behavioral disorders.
The frontal lobe is almost always injured because of its large size and its location near the front of the cranium. The frontal lobe is involved in many cognitive functions and is considered our emotional and personality control center. Damage to this area can result in decreased judgment and increased impulsivity.
Source: www.traumatic-braininjury.com
