MYTH: A person must be unconscious to suffer a brain injury.

FACT: Even a “mild” traumatic brain injury can have devastating, long-lasting and permanent consequences.

MYTH: If a neurological exam is normal, everything is fine.

FACT: A “gross” neurological exam is not designed to pick up subtle impairments and deficits caused by injury to the brain cells.

MYTH: A person must have a visible injury or evidence of trauma to sustain a brain injury.

FACT: Often there will be no visible injury or evidence of trauma to the head or body because the injury is caused by movement of the brain and brain cells within the skull.

MYTH: Psychological effects, such as depression, are not related to the physiology of the injury.

FACT: A person might often suffer emotional consequences as a result of a traumatic brain injury and its impact on the person’s ability to function; just because the person becomes depressed does not mean that the problems are just “psychological” rather than neurological.

MYTH: One person’s brain injury will be similar to another person’s brain injury.

FACT: Each individual is unique, and the number and location of brain cells injured differ and therefore the individual impairments associated with the brain injury will differ.

David Dwork is a Boston, MA-based attorney focused on representing survivors of traumatic brain injuries.  If you have questions regarding brain injury and your legal rights, please contact David Dwork at (617) 531-6580 or dpd@barronstad.com.

Because of its position at the front of the skull (and large size in comparison to other sections of the brain), the frontal lobe is perhaps the most vulnerable part of the human brain. Studies have shown that the frontal lobe is the most commonly damaged region of the brain following mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. Damage to this part of the brain is often seen with traumatic brain injuries resulting from car collisions—the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in adults.

As the main emotional and personality center for the brain, the frontal lobe plays a key role in day-to-day function. Together, the left and right sides of the frontal lobe help control motor skills, memory, language, impulses, problem solving, and social interaction and behavior. Because of all the vital functions it performs, serious effects may result from traumatic brain injury in the frontal lobe region.

Commonly, patients with frontal lobe damage exhibit difficulty with fine motor skills, including an inability to make spontaneous facial expressions, use hands and fingers properly, etc. Complex chains of motor movement—for example, going through the steps to make a pot of coffee—can also be affected, making daily tasks difficult to perform.

In addition to problems with motor skills, traumatic brain injury to the frontal lobe may also impact the ability to think. Because this part of the brain assists with problem solving, patients with TBI to the frontal lobe often experience hardship with divergent—or, flexible—thinking skills that are required to make decisions. In some cases, and even with a good recovery, frontal lobe injury can result in long-term damage to attention and memory.

Social behavior is another frequently impacted area related to traumatic brain injury and the frontal lobe of the brain. This includes change in personality, difficulty with spatial orientation (for example, not being able to determine how close objects may be to the body), and trouble interpreting cues from the surrounding environment. Decreased judgment skills and increased impulsive behavior as a result of TBI can have a significant impact on behavior.

While some effects of traumatic injury are highly noticeable—bumps, bruises, and the like—those experienced as a result of an internal frontal lobe injury may take longer to realize. Because these are potentially life-altering effects, however, it is important to be cognizant and aware of the frequency of these injuries and potential damage caused by TBI to the frontal lobe.

David Dwork is a Boston, MA-based attorney focused on representing survivors of traumatic brain injuries.  If you have questions regarding brain injury and your legal rights, please contact David Dwork at (617) 531-6580 or dpd@barronstad.com.

Head or Brain Injury in Children

“Head injury” is a broad term relating to a wide array of injuries, including those affecting the scalp, brain, skull, and surrounding nerve and tissue. Head injury, brain injury, and traumatic brain injury may all be used interchangeably, but TBI (traumatic brain injury) is generally used in more severe cases. Whatever words used to describe it, brain injury in children is a serious matter.

Head or brain injuries are leading causes for disability or death in children. Injuries in children can be as minimal as a cut on the head or a bump as the result of a fall while playing. However, they can also be as serious as skull fracture or internal bleeding to the brain in more severe traumatic brain injury cases.  Because brain injury is life-threatening—and often accidental—understanding the signs, symptoms, and treatment processes related to brain injury are important for any parent or child care-giver to know.

If you are concerned that your child (or another child you know) may be suffering from a brain injury due to a motor vehicle collision, fall, sports-related or other accident, here are some signs and symptoms to look for:

“Mild”* Head Injury

• Headache
• Irritability and confusion
• Swollen area from a bump or a bruise
• Small cut in the scalp
• Nausea or dizziness
• Sensitivity to noise and/or light
• Inability to concentrate
• Blurred vision
• Change in sleeping patterns
• Fatigue

* Note: An injury is generally considered mild when the person sustains no loss of consciousness or a very brief period of altered consciousness. However, the degree or presence of loss of consciousness does not necessarily have a direct correlation with the long-term effects resulting from the brain injury. Certain individuals, either as a result of the nature of the injury to the brain, genetic makeup, or preexisting conditions, may sustain devastating impairments from even a “minor” traumatic brain injury. The degree of brain injury refers only to the acute phase and the length and presence of any loss of consciousness, and not to the long-term impact that the injury may have on the person’s ability to function.

Moderate to Severe Head Injury

In the case of a more serious brain injury, check for the above symptoms as well as the following:

• Severe and lasting headache
• Loss of consciousness
• Sweating
• Difficulty walking
• Slurred speech
• Seizures
• Pale color
• Bloody nose
• Deep cuts or contusions on the head

Even if your child sustains no loss of consciousness, a brain injury could be present. If an injury is suspected for any reason, it is always safe and smart to seek medical treatment from a physician.

David Dwork is a Boston MA  based attorney focused on defending survivors of traumatic brain injuries.  If you have questions regarding brain injury and your legal rights, please contact David Dwork at (617) 531-6580 or dpd@barronstad.com.

• 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year.
• More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of a traumatic brain injury.
• 22% of persons with severe traumatic brain injury die.
• Every 21 seconds, one person in the United States sustains a traumatic brain injury.
• An estimated 5.3 million Americans – a little more than 2% of the U.S. population – currently live with disabilities resulting room traumatic brain injury.
• Each year, approximately 80,000 Americans experience the onset of disabilities resulting from brain injuries.
• Brain injuries are the most frequent reason for visits to physicians and emergency rooms.
• Brain injuries require 3.5 million days of hospitalization and loss of more than 35,000 years of productive work annually.
• A survivor of severe brain injury requires between $4.1 million and $7 million in lifetime care.
• Hospital and facilities costs relating to TBI in the United States is estimated to exceed $48 billion annually.

The link between repeated concussions such as those suffered in football and serious, life threatening brain injury has been further supported by a recent study. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have found that the brains of deceased football players show evidence of serious brain injury. The brains, examined microscopically, show chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease caused by repeated trauma to the head. It represents a buildup of toxic protein in the brain (tau protein). Individuals who suffer from CTE have symptoms such as memory impairment, depression, erratic behavior, emotional instability and other cognitive problems. These symptoms can develop into full blown dementia.

The story of football players like former New England Patriots’ linebacker, Ted Johnson, is well known. Johnson suffered numerous hits to his head while playing football. He now exhibits signs of early stage Alzheimer’s. However, less well known is the stories of numerous football players who died under the age of 50, many from suicide, whose brains on subsequent autopsy showed clear signs of CTE. The latest victim was under the age of 18.

Repetitive head trauma can no longer be written off as “dings” that are part of the game, Rather, they are concussions that can cause debilitating brain dysfunction later in life. Therefore, they must be taken seriously and the medical guidelines involving return to play and management of concussions should be followed.

Article Copyright of Barron and Stadfeld PC