October is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. The Brain Injury Association of America seeks to make use of this time to promote a deeper understanding about the 1 million individuals in the U.S. who sufferfrom traumatic brain injury.
Brain injuries range from mild, with very few or no lasting symptoms, to severe, such that the injury impacts their daily life. The twomain classes of brain injuries are traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury. Individuals with traumatic injuries often sustain wounds from assaults, car accidents or other collisions. On the other hand, those with acquired injures are those who experience events like strokes tumors, strong electrical shocks or near drowning.
The Brain Injury Association of America lists eleven types of brain injuries to further classify head trauma. These classes include: diffuse axonal injuries, concussions, contusions, second impact syndrome, penetrating injuries, shaken baby syndrome, locked-in syndrome, anoxic brain injury, hypoxic brain injury, open head injury, closed head injury.
Warning signs that one may be suffering a brain injury after a blow to the head are: mood swings, nausea, depression, anxiety, inability to control emotions, memory problems, balance issues, decreased cognitive function, sensitivity to stimuli such as light or sound, insomnia, headache, seizures, fatigue or spontaneous loss of consciousness. Some of these require specific medical expertise to identify.
The importance of seeking medical attention is critically important. For example, to treat mild braininjuries, medical professionals recommend rest and the occasional use of pain medication to manage the discomfort. However, skipping over a trip to the doctor’s office and taking medication without advice from a doctor could result in complications. Some over-the-counter drugs can make brain bleeding worse.
As an addition to highlighting the issues with brain Injury and treatment, I would like to highlight that some brain injury cases are difficult to diagnose. This is especially important in Florida because of the state’s upcoming changes to its PIP Law. If a brain injury goes undiagnosed within the first 14 days after an accident, an injured party may only be entitled to $2,500 to cover medical treatment.
For more information, contact a Florida brain injury attorney at the Dolman Law Group for a free consultation and case evaluation.