Traumatic Brain Injury, Common, Yet Still a Mystery
February 02, 2023
The usual definition of a traumatic brain injury is laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is defined as the brain experiencing a disruption to its normal function. It is typically caused by a jolt, blow, bump to the head, or a penetrating head injury.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), although often linked with military combat, car accidents, or falling accidents, they can also occur while playing contact sports, such as hockey, soccer, and football. Many Americans are aware of the high incidence of TBI in football players. TBI is also often referred to as a type of acquired brain injury.
Many combat veterans have sustained TBI as a result of experiencing explosions either during training exercises or during live, active combat. There are various forms of TBI, ranging from a somewhat mild change in consciousness to losing consciousness. Memory loss often accompanies those with TBIs.
According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), there were 414,000 TBIs sustained by U.S. service members globally, between 2000 and later in 2019. Additionally, over 185,000 vets seeking care from the VA have been diagnosed with at least one TBI.
Sustaining a TBI, no matter what the level of severity, can cause irritability, sleep disorders, headaches, depression, memory issues, and slower thinking. The difficulties in dealing with these issues often result in physical and mental health problems – problems that can interfere with integration into a veteran’s home community, affect a veteran’s employment situation and damage family relationships.
Getting a handle on the severity of the TBI is the first step in assessing how a veteran may be helped. Usually, the patient receives a CT scan to check for swelling, brain bleed, or bruising. It is also crucial to know how long the loss of consciousness resulted in the TBI, or how long the veteran’s consciousness has been affected. Although many TBIs are graded as mild, mild cases, also often referred to as concussions, or MTBI, can and do result in serious long-term effects.
While treatment for TBIs is varied, it often involves speech, occupational, cognitive, and physical therapy and various medications. Treating TBI is also made more complex if the patient has a career or lifetime of blows to the head. e.g. Such as a veteran fighting in the trenches being exposed to IED explosions.
The more trauma a brain sustains, the higher the risks of the veteran (or sports player) developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.
If veterans run into difficulties seeking benefits, Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC is a nationwide VA Disability law firm that assists veterans and their family members in all federal VA benefit matters.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC has a national practice representing veterans from across the country. They have helped veterans collect over $10,000,000 in future and retroactive benefits.