Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury

By Staff Writer

Just about any injury involving the head can potentially lead to brain injury. Falling off a ladder, being in a bad car accident or simply crashing into something can have effects on the brain that can take a long time to even appear.

It’s safe to say that brain injury can be quite unpredictable in its consequences and can have dramatic impacts on who we are, the way we think, act and feel.

According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, over 1.7 million people each year sustain some sort of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). These injuries can be caused by a variety of things, with falls and motor vehicle crashes accounting for just over 50% of brain injuries.

A traumatic brain injury can have several lasting impacts. Functional sections or lobes in the brain are divided by left and right. Both sides are responsible for different functions. Injuries to one side or the other can result in general patterns of dysfunction.

If an injury occurs on the left side of the brain, it can cause:

• Difficulty in understanding language
• Difficulty in speaking
• Depression, anxiety
• Verbal memory deficits
• Impaired logic
• Sequencing difficulties
• Decreased control over right-sided body movements

If an injury occurs on the right side of the brain, it can cause:

• Visual-spatial impairment
• Visual memory deficits
• Left neglect (inattention to the left side of the body) Decreased awareness of deficits
• Altered creativity and music perception
• Loss of “the big picture” type of thinking
• Decreased control over left-sided body movements

Diffuse brain injuries, or those that are scattered throughout both the left and right side of the brain can cause:

• Reduced thinking speed
• Confusion
• Reduced attention and concentration
• Fatigue
• Impaired cognitive (thinking) skills in all areas

(List of symptoms and brain function illustration courtesy of the Brain Injury Association of America)

When a brain injury occurs, damage to neuron transmitters, nerve tracts or sections of the brain can severely limit or even destroy the ability to carry the messages that tell the brain what to do.

This can in fact change a person in who they are and how they think. Brain injuries can also have an effect on complex functions of the body such as temperature regulation, blood pressure, bowel and bladder control.

Changes like these can be temporary or permanent – it really depends on the individual’s situation. If the injury is bad enough, a complete loss of a particular body function could occur.

Remember, each of our brains is different which is why each brain injury is unique. A person with a brain injury is, and always will be a person first.

If you’ve sustained a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage and pain/suffering.

The best way to determine if you have a claim is to speak with an attorney specializing in brain injuries. Sid Gilreath and associates here at our Tennessee firm have extensive experience representing clients who sustained a brain injury.

To discuss your case, contact Nashville brain injury attorneys at Gilreath & Associates today for a free consultation.

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