Causes, Recovery, and Rehab For Traumatic Brain Injury in NY

Brain injuries can have lifelong and far-reaching consequences. The emotional, physical, and cognitive-communicative impact of brain injuries can limit your earning potential greatly. It can also affect the quality of your life severely. Common causes for traumatic brain injuries include falls, vehicular crashes, assaults, and sports injuries. These types of injuries can range from minor concussions to permanent brain damage. Brain injuries can have lifelong and far-reaching consequences.  It can also affect the quality of your life severely. Common causes for traumatic brain injuries include falls, vehicular crashes, assaults, and sports injuries. These types of injuries can range from minor concussions to permanent brain damage.

Statistics for Traumatic Brain Injuries in the US

• 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) get reported in the US each year as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Each year, about 235,000 get hospitalized because of a TBI. The hospitalization rate for traumatic brain injuries is 20% higher as compared to spinal cord injuries.
• More than 50,000 victims die each year because of a TBI
• Each year, 90,000 people develop several serious and permanent disabilities as a result of the brain injury
• Almost 79% of all traumatic brain injury victims are men

Common Causes for Traumatic Brain Injuries in NYC

Different types of accidents in New York can result in traumatic brain injury. These are the five most common ones. Different types of accidents in New York can result in traumatic brain injury. These are the five most common ones.

1. Falls

Falls are among the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries in the US. They are responsible for almost 50% of traumatic brain injuries reported in the country each year. These are the common slip and fall accidents resulting in a brain injury:

• Slipping and falling while bathing
• Falling from bed
• Falling from a ladder
• Falling down the stairs
• Falling from a balcony

Falls at the workplace are also a common cause of traumatic brain injuries in the country. These types of accidents are especially common in the construction industry. Construction workers are often needed to use a ladder or a scaffold to work at great heights, making fall accidents common.

A significant portion of these accidents results in traumatic brain injuries that significantly affect the earning capacity of the injured.

2. Falling objects

You are at a high risk of sustaining severe brain injuries when an object moving at high velocity or falling strikes your head. This type of brain injury is usual in the construction industry. For instance, you may suffer a serious injury to the head if another worker drops his tools on your head accidentally.

Similarly, you may suffer permanent and life-threatening injuries if a crane operator doesn’t realize you are standing underneath and releases a heavy load.

3. Motor vehicle accidents

The risk of brain injury is high when you collide with another car or a stationary object. The same holds true when you get rear-ended or T-boned. Motor vehicle accidents generally cause brain injuries in the following two ways:

• When your head gets smashed against the steering wheel or windshield
• When your brain is smashed against the skull because of a violent and forceful impact

On the other hand, if you get hit by a car while riding a motorcycle, riding a bike, or walking you could suffer from both internal and external injuries.

Air bags, seat belts, and other safety mechanisms can help protect against impact to a great extent when someone is in a van, car, or any other motor vehicle. You don’t have similar safety mechanisms while riding a motorcycle or a bike. This exposes you to the dangers of a crash.

4. Assault

You may suffer serious brain injuries if you are assaulted violently, such as being kicked, punched or hit in the head with a blunt object.

5. Drowning

You may suffer from an anoxic brain injury if you accidentally drown in a river, swimming pool or any other water body. This can cause oxygen deprivation in the brain. This may not be a traumatic brain injury since there are no external impacts in the form of a jolt or blow to the head, but anoxic brain injuries can result in serious brain damage. Your brain cells are unable to function without oxygen for more than 5 minutes.

Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery & Rehabilitation

The recovery process of a traumatic brain injury depends on the severity of the injury. However, it typically progresses through a coma, amnesia/confusion, and recovery stages.

• When someone is in a coma, their eyes are closed and they don’t react when stimulated or spoke to. Automatic response to a stimulus and basic reflexes are usually the only movements at this time. Brain wave activity in comatose people tends to be different from a sleeping one.
• The first natural response when a coma patient begins to wake up is of bodily protection. The patient at this stage tries to move away from the stimulus and pull items attached to them. Their eyes tend to flutter open more often and they may not be aware of their response or behavior. It is common for patients to respond by way of moaning, increased breathing, sweating, moving, and a rise in blood pressure.
• Interactions tend to become more purposeful as patients continue to wake up. They may follow people around the room with their eyes and be capable of responding to simple commands. However, patients may still be agitated or confused.

All head injuries are not the same. Patients tend to recover at different degrees and rates. It can get difficult to determine whether the patient will begin to interact or understand caregivers and family members in a meaningful way. Recovering from a brain injury can take months or years. It is important for the family to have patience.

Family's Role in Brain Injury Recovery

Family members typically feel helpless when a loved one has a brain injury and in the NSICU. You should know that you are not alone. Also, it is important that you use your energy wisely and take care of yourself.

NSICU has limited visiting hours. The patient can get agitated with too much stimulation, which can in turn raise their blood pressure. You can always convey your concern for your loved ones by sitting beside them and holding their hand. You should note that even though the patient is silent, they may be able to hear and process everything you say.

Patients during recovery need help in understanding the trauma they went through and the period “lost” to them. Understand that the recovery of consciousness is a slow and gradual process. It is not just about waking up. Progress can be tracked using thinking, movement and interacting. Family photos can help a long way in regaining memory.

Rehabilitation of a TBI Victim

Generally, hospitals discharge traumatic brain injury patients when their condition becomes stable and they do not require intensive care any more. Social workers can closely work with the family members to ensure a streamlined transfer to a rehabilitation center, long-term center, or return home.

• Long-term acute care (LTAC) facilities are created for patients that have stabilized from an initial injury but still require frequent nursing care of a ventilator. Most patients need to be discharged to an LTAC after ventilator. They can then be moved to a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center.
• Rehabilitation facilities is for people that do not require a ventilator. However, they still need help with their basic everyday activities. Occupational and physical therapists work to help patients achieve maximum recovery potential. Rehab facilities can be in the form of a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), which provides 1 – 3 hours of rehab or an Acute Inpatient Rehab, which requires patients to participate in 3 hours or more of rehab-related activities each day.

The brain’s plasticity determines the extent of recovery from a brain injury. Brain plasticity refers to the ability of the brain’s undamaged areas to take over the responsibilities and functions of the damaged parts. Recovery also depends on the repair and regeneration of nerve cells. Most importantly, recovery depends on a patient’s effort to compensate and relearn lost abilities.

• Physical therapists can go a long way in helping patients maintain and rebuild their balance, strength, and coordination. Therapists can work with patients housed in any facility.
• Occupational therapists help patients recover enough to perform their everyday activities, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, and moving from one place to the next. They may also provide adaptive equipment for performing certain difficult tasks.
• Speech therapists help patients monitor their ability for swallowing food safely. They help with cognition and communication.
• Neuropsychologists help patients develop compensation skills and relearn cognitive functioning. They also help patients develop skills for coping with thinking, memory, and emotional needs.

Speak with a Skilled NYC Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

Brain injuries can result in life-threatening and altering consequences. You can suffer from serious physical disabilities that affect your social life, behavior and reduce your earning capacity. The disabilities can also render you mentally and physically incapable of leading the same kind of lifestyle.

The capable personal injury attorneys at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff understand the pain you are going through. We know it is hard to watch a loved one struggle with brain injury, and more so, if they happened to be the breadwinner. We are capable of investigating and identifying all responsible parties for the accident. We will do everything we can to recover compensation for lost income, injuries, disabilities, loss of consortium, loss of earning potential, and other losses.

Give us a call today at 212-344-1000 to schedule a free consultation or contact us online.