Setareh Law
December 28, 2024
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can significantly affect a victim’s ability to lead an everyday life. This is because many brain injuries usually result in permanent or long-term damage to the victim. Unfortunately, coping after a traumatic brain injury is a long process that requires skillful diagnosis, emergency treatment, and any other further treatments that may be needed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TBIs have a significant impact on public health, with increasing emergency department visits and fatalities highlighting the need for improved diagnostic methodologies, treatment strategies, and overall management as crucial components of disease control efforts.
While recovery and rehabilitation are possible, TBI victims may have to adjust and learn how to cope with the new reality. They may face various challenges in their lives as a result of their injuries. In this article, we’ll look at the difficulties that TBI victims may face and how the experienced lawyers at Setareh Law can help you through these difficult times.
Rehabilitation and Recovery
Rehabilitation and recovery from traumatic brain injury are critical components of the healing process. The goal of rehabilitation is to help individuals with TBI regain their physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning and to improve their overall quality of life. This process can be challenging, but with the right support and treatment, significant progress is possible.
Rehabilitation for TBI
Rehabilitation for TBI typically involves a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and psychologists. The rehabilitation process may include:
- Physical Therapy: To improve mobility, balance, and coordination, helping individuals regain their physical independence.
- Occupational Therapy: To enhance daily living skills, such as bathing, dressing, and cooking, enabling individuals to perform everyday tasks more effectively.
- Speech Therapy: To improve communication skills, including speaking and understanding language, which are often affected by TBI.
- Cognitive Therapy: To enhance memory, attention, and problem-solving skills, addressing the cognitive challenges that TBI victims may face.
- Psychological Therapy: To address emotional and behavioral changes, such as anxiety, depression, and mood swings, providing support for the mental health aspects of recovery.
Rehabilitation for TBI can be a long and challenging process, but with the right support and treatment, individuals with TBI can make significant progress and improve their overall quality of life.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex and multifaceted condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is essential to understand the basics of TBI to appreciate its impact on individuals and society. A traumatic brain injury can disrupt normal brain function, leading to a wide range of symptoms and challenges that can affect every aspect of a person’s life.
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is a type of brain injury caused by an external force, such as a blow to the head or body, that disrupts normal brain function. This disruption can result in a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe, and can impact cognitive, emotional, and physical functioning.
For instance, a traumatic brain injury can lead to memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or behavior. Understanding the nature of TBI is crucial for recognizing its effects and seeking appropriate treatment.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries can be classified into several types, each with its own set of symptoms and severity levels:
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI): Also known as a concussion, this type of injury is typically caused by a minor blow to the head or body. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, and confusion, and they are usually temporary.
- Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury: More severe than mTBI, this type of injury can result in more pronounced symptoms such as memory problems, mood changes, and difficulty with concentration. These symptoms may persist for a longer period and require more intensive treatment.
- Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: The most severe type of TBI, this injury can lead to significant and long-lasting symptoms, including loss of consciousness, seizures, and difficulty with speech and language. Severe TBIs often require extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
5 Challenges That TBI Victims May Face
Some of the most notable challenges that a TBI victim may face after their injury include:
Traumatic brain injuries can lead to temporary or permanent damage to brain cells, affecting cognitive and emotional well-being.
1. Cognitive Difficulty
Damage to the brain can significantly affect a person’s ability to think, remember, and process information. Therefore, a victim will show impaired cognitive skills in various areas. Some of the cognitive difficulties a TBI victim will have may include:
- Memory problems
- Difficulty paying attention
- Reduced thinking speed
- Slow speed of processing information
- Confusion
- Trouble concentrating or focusing
- Impulsiveness
- Poor judgment
- Learning problems
- Develop inappropriate behaviors or unusual habits
Damage or displacement of brain tissue can lead to cognitive difficulties, as the affected areas of the brain are crucial for these functions.
The cognitive difficulties victims suffer depend on the part of their brain that was affected after the accident.
2. Socio-Emotional and Behavioral Challenges
Suffering from a traumatic brain injury often means a lifetime of increased difficulty in some areas, irrespective of the recovery during the rehabilitation process. This significantly affects an individual’s mental well-being, leading to various emotional and psychological complications. These challenges may include:
- Depression
- Nervousness and anxiety
- Mood swings
- Agitation
- Impulsive behavior
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Difficulty with social interaction and intimacy
- Difficulty making and keeping friends
- Impaired social capacity
- Difficulty understanding and responding to social interactions
Most of the emotional and psychological problems develop beyond the initial injury.
3. Physical Challenges
TBIs can have a serious toll on the physical well-being of a victim. Depending on the severity of the brain injury, an individual may face the following physical challenges:
- Fatigue
- Physical paralysis or spasticity
- Seizures
- Headaches and migraines
- Poor coordination
- Appetite changes
- Loss of stamina and balance issues
- Dizziness
- Impaired mobility
- Sleep disorders
- Chronic pain
Preventing head injuries is crucial, especially in children, and various strategies for avoidance should be highlighted.
Typically, severe TBI victims will have difficulty performing any daily tasks independently and may be required to rely on a caregiver to help them with everyday activities. This added care is another expense that a TBI victim may be able to get compensation for following a claim.
4. Communication, Speech, and Language Challenge
TBI survivors may develop the following communication and comprehension problems:
- Aphasia, which is difficulty in speaking and understanding speech
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty identifying objects with their functions
- Talking very fast or very slow
- Difficulty with reading or writing
- Difficulty forming sensible sentences
- Decreased vocabulary and inability to work with numbers
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is critical in diagnosing brain injuries that affect communication and speech, as it can detect subtle brain changes often missed by other imaging techniques.
It’s common for TBI patients to know what they want to say but forget the words required to deliver their message. They may also confuse similar soundings without even realizing it.
5. Sensory and Perceptual Problems
A brain injury can affect a victim’s sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell. You could have difficulty integrating and understanding information gained through these senses. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a distinct category of neurotrauma within the broader landscape of neurological disorders, highlighting their unique challenges and significant impact on mortality and disability. Some of the problems you may have to deal with include the following:
- Partial or total loss of vision, hearing, smell, or taste
- Blurred vision
- Problems judging distance
- Increased sensitivity or intolerance to sounds
- Ringing in the ears
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Difficulty perceiving temperature
- Challenges perceiving movement
- Difficulty distinguishing between small objects, like coins
- Difficulty recognizing and distinguishing between touch and pressure sensations
These problems usually occur as a result of damage to the brain’s sensory and perceptual processing centers. Rehabilitation and therapy can help TBI victims overcome some of these challenges and improve their ability to function in daily life.
Contact an Experienced Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer at Setareh Law
Suffering brain injuries caused by another party’s negligence can be traumatizing. Even after going through a long and expensive recovery process, you may still encounter difficulties. You may still have to deal with long-term physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive challenges due to your injury.
Traumatic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, often have significant legal implications, especially when caused by another party’s negligence.
At Setareh Law, we understand the detrimental effects of a traumatic brain injury. That’s why our compassionate lawyers are dedicated to aggressively protecting the rights of TBI victims and helping them recover compensation for what they are going through. Call us today at (310) 659-1826 or schedule a free online consultation with our skilled traumatic brain injury attorneys to discuss your case. Our lawyers speak English and Spanish.
