TBI, often known as “acquired brain injury” or “head injury,” happens when sudden trauma damages the brain. Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about TBI.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can significantly impact your life, and you may choose to seek compensation depending on the accident cause. If you are involved in an accident, you must learn the basic facts concerning TBIs.

What is a TBI?

You would have a TBI if you had any substantial impact on your head that affects your brain’s natural activities. Other illnesses, such as infections or strokes, can affect your brain, known as “acquired brain injuries,” or ABIs, and they can have the same life-altering effects as a TBI.

TBIs can be mild, moderate, or severe. Because most TBIs are minor, many people who have suffered one find that their TBI symptoms increase over time. The effects of TBI can endure a lifetime in rarer but more catastrophic cases.

How many people have TBI?

It isn’t easy to believe, but about 1.7 million Americans yearly suffer from a TBI. There are fewer people seen in an emergency room, but about 275,000 people are hospitalized in hospitals each year. In addition, more than 52,000 people die each year due to a TBI, and 125,000 people get permanently incapacitated due to the injury.

Although it is unclear how many people with TBI medical do not get treated in an emergency room, the CDC estimates that at least 3.2 million people in the United States are permanently incapacitated due to TBI.

What causes TBI?

The most common causes of TBI include:

  • Falls (35.2%),
  • Motor vehicle/traffic crashes (17.3%),
  • Being struck by/against (16.5%),
  • Assaults (11%), and
  • Other/unknown (21% )

For active-duty military members in combat zones, blasts are a significant cause of TBI.

How does TBI affect the body and the brain?

Anything that has to do with your brain could be compromised if you get a TBI. It means that basic bodily activities such as eating and sleeping might get altered. It also means that the more complex aspects of your life, such as your emotions, thoughts, and communication capacity, may be affected.

TBI symptoms and associated medical conditions can also impair the brain’s electrical system, resulting in seizures in severe cases. Epilepsy is the common name for such a condition, and TBI also increases the chance of developing other diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

What is the process of treating TBI?

Most patients should seek treatment at a trauma center such as brain treatment center Dallas as soon as possible after suffering an injury. If the examining doctor believes the damage is a mild TBI, the patient is usually assessed and tested before being discharged with proper follow-up instructions. Patients need to report any TBI symptoms that intensify right away.

Individuals with moderate to severe TBI may require surgery, intensive care, acute care, or any combination of the three. At every stage of treatment, specialists should be present to advise on the next steps. Once the person is medically stable, the following treatments may be beneficial:

  • Acute rehabilitation programs
  • Post-acute rehabilitation centers
  • Sub-acute care through a skilled nursing facility
  • Long-term care/supervised living for slow-to-recover patients
  • Coma stimulation programs
  • Residential facilities that specialize in TBI
  • Outpatient rehabilitation
  • Day treatment programs
  • Neuropsychological Testing
  • Neurological medication management
  • Epilepsy treatment centers
  • Neurobehavioral management programs
  • In-home treatment provided by medical professionals

Some therapy can take weeks or months, while others can take years. As you or your loved one needs to evolve, so do the programs and treatments. Some centers may also provide respite care for family members who temporarily need to place a loved one in care.

Will I get better?

TBI is treatable, and with the aid of the brain treatment center Dallas, treatment continuously improves. Remember that a TBI is a catastrophic condition; the more severe the injury, the less likely you will recover your pre-injury physical and mental state.

There is a common misconception that there is only a limited amount of time to aid someone who has had a brain injury. Still, the truth is that many people continue to improve in their rehabilitation years after the injury.

How long will I take to recover from TBI?

TBIs have a proclivity for taking a long time to recover. Traumatic brain injury symptoms can last weeks or months in mild cases. Some moderate to severe symptoms may go away after a few months or years, while others may last a lifetime.

What are the costs of TBI?

TBI had a significant economic impact on the United States, costing the country $60 billion in 2021.

The cost of treatment increases as the severity of the damage increases. 

To Conclude:

It is common for people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury to develop mental health problems. While brain damage cannot be completely reversed, a person can cope by learning new skills and behaviors.

By gaining control of your pain, an experienced therapist can significantly help you improve the quality of your life.

You can see visible improvement with the assistance of doctors. Visit Advantage Medical Clinic Waxahachie to get in touch and learn more about TBI. During TBI, you can gain valuable insight into your health and well-being.