Traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery is at the front-and-center of the news in recent years, due to the large numbers of military members returning from Iraq and elsewhere with the “signature� war wound, a TBI. However, TBIs are a problem for all Americans, not just veterans and their families. According to the Brain Injury Association, more Americans experience a TBI each year than the numbers of cases of multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, spinal cord injury, and HIV/AIDS and combined.
The definition of a TBI is an injury caused by a blow or a jolt to the head (or a penetrating head injury) that disrupts the brain’s normal functioning. The severity of TBIs ranges from “mild� (a temporary, brief change in mental status or consciousness) to “severe� (an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia) after the injury. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 5.3 million Americans are dealing with their own TBI recovery these days.
With the millions of individuals living with a TBI in the U.S., one might think that the path to recovery from a TBI is well understood and well defined. Unfortunately, very much research and clinical work is still necessary regarding TBI patients’ treatment and recovery. Part of the problem is that every TBI patient’s case is unique in terms of its damage, its prognosis, and the patient’s pre-injury status.
Moreover, a TBI can affect an individual’s thought processes, sensation, language skills, and emotions. Each of these functions may recover at a different rate, and the recovery may also be complicated by the tendency of TBIs to both cause epilepsy and increase the chances of the patient developing Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders that are more common among the elderly.
The road to recovery for an individual with a TBI is often long and arduous. The patient’s recovery may involve problems with his or her:
The costs of medical care in a TBI recovery, often including psychological counseling, can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many people are overwhelmed by the consequences of a TBI. However, a first step is to learn all that you can about TBIs, their treatment and recovery path. Contact us online today to learn more about recovering money for your TBI costs.