Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be devastating, with effects that can last for years sometimes a lifetime and affect every aspect of your life. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2.5 million emergency room visits, hospitalizations or deaths are associated with TBI each year, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that half of all TBIs that occur in the U.S. are the result of motor vehicle collisions. Injuries dont have to be impact-related even the whiplash jolt of a car crash can cause TBI. Traumatic brain injury survivors often have significant problems with communication, including cognitive impairment and speech deficits that can have a major impact on their ability to resume their normal lives and to live independently. For these patients, speech and language therapists play vital roles in the recovery process. People who experience a traumatic brain injury may have trouble forming words or thinking of the words they want to use; they may have difficulty following conversations or understanding spoken or written words. They may also have problems with reading, writing or spelling. In addition to these cognitive and functional issues, there may also be physical … Continue reading →

Back in 2012, we asked some bicyclists in Washington, D.C., about their helmet habits. Here's what they told us. Bartender Matt Carucci says he rarely feels safe biking in the city but often rides without a helmet anyway. "There are a lot of other ways to hurt yourself," he says. John Rose/NPR Carl Cavaliere, a legal assistant, has been a bicycle commuter in Washington, D.C., for 12 years and always wears a helmet. "You realize how bad the drivers are here," he says. John Rose/NPR Chicagoans Matthew Kutz and Molly Witges didn't bring helmets to D.C. but felt safe anyway on the slow, heavy Bikeshare bikes. "You're never going to get into a high-speed collision," Kutz says. John Rose/NPR Jason Lee, a government analyst, says he wears his helmet 9 times out of 10. "My wife gets very angry when I leave the house without a helmet," Lee says. John Rose/NPR Alex Tremble works in leadership development and has commuted by bike for the past month. He says his reluctance to buy a helmet is psychological: "If you don't own [a helmet], maybe you don't really feel like a 'bike rider.' " Now that he uses a bike every day, … Continue reading →

Aphasia is a treatable and often misunderstood communication disorder. Aphasia is a language problem caused by brain injury, typically a stroke. Aphasia occurs when a stroke or other brain injury damage and disconnect areas of the brain responsible for language, which includes not only speech, but also the ability to comprehend, read, write, and even gesture. Approximately one million people in the United States have aphasia, and more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. Aphasia is sometimes mistaken for intellectual impairment, and so they are often ignored because they may seem not to understand, or "shouted at" as if they have a hearing loss. Individuals with aphasia are like snowflakes because no two people communicate the same way. For example, when asked about the 2014-2015 UK basketball team, Mr. Z might just smile and nod his head enthusiastically; Mr. Y might say, "Wow good"; and Mr. H. might say, "They are going to go all the way." While all reflect hope for the coming season, they do so differently. Aphasia clinicians and researchers have the skills and experience to examine these varied responses and use this information to determine the severity and type of aphasia and its causes and … Continue reading →

MANKATO, Minn. (KMSP) - Over the past few years, greater understanding of traumatic brain injuries has led to dramatic progress in recovery and treatment even though the circumstances that led to those discoveries is less than ideal. Last month, the care team helping Isaac Kolstad recover from the traumatic brain injury he suffered in an assault on the streets of Mankato, Minn., removed a piece of his skull to relieve the pressure. Soon, that skull flap will be replaced, and that will mark a major step forward as he moves toward rehab. The medical professionals who have overseen multiple surgeries during his hospital stay told the Kolstad family that doctors know much more about treating brain injuries than they did a decade ago, and much of that new knowledge can be attributed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It is significantly different than 10 years ago," Dr. Andrew Grande, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Minnesota, told Fox 9 News. Grande is not involved in Kolstad's care, but he confirmed the science of treating brain injuries keeps picking up speed. "These paradigm shifts occurring in neuroscience are occurring so much more rapidly right now," he said. The … Continue reading →

Back in 2012, we asked some bicyclists in Washington, D.C., about their helmet habits. Here's what they told us. Bartender Matt Carucci says he rarely feels safe biking in the city but often rides without a helmet anyway. "There are a lot of other ways to hurt yourself," he says. John Rose/NPR Carl Cavaliere, a legal assistant, has been a bicycle commuter in Washington, D.C., for 12 years and always wears a helmet. "You realize how bad the drivers are here," he says. John Rose/NPR Chicagoans Matthew Kutz and Molly Witges didn't bring helmets to D.C. but felt safe anyway on the slow, heavy Bikeshare bikes. "You're never going to get into a high-speed collision," Kutz says. John Rose/NPR Jason Lee, a government analyst, says he wears his helmet 9 times out of 10. "My wife gets very angry when I leave the house without a helmet," Lee says. John Rose/NPR Alex Tremble works in leadership development and has commuted by bike for the past month. He says his reluctance to buy a helmet is psychological: "If you don't own [a helmet], maybe you don't really feel like a 'bike rider.' " Now that he uses a bike every day, … Continue reading →

Traumatic brain injuries from sports, recreational activities, falls or car accidents are the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents. While previously it was believed that the window for brain recovery was at most one year after injury, new research from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas published online today in the open-access journal Frontiers in Neurology shows cognitive performance can be improved to significant degrees months, and even years, after injury, given targeted brain training. "The after-effects of concussions and more severe brain injuries can be very different and more detrimental to a developing child or adolescent brain than an adult brain," said Dr. Lori Cook, study author and director of the Center for BrainHealth's pediatric brain injury programs. "While the brain undergoes spontaneous recovery in the immediate days, weeks, and months following a brain injury, cognitive deficits may continue to evolve months to years after the initial brain insult when the brain is called upon to perform higher-order reasoning and critical thinking tasks." Twenty adolescents, ages 12-20 who experienced a traumatic brain injury at least six months prior to participating in the research and were demonstrating gist reasoning deficits, or … Continue reading →

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) June 12, 2014 The Hydrocephalus Association is honored to announce Dr. Stephen A. Back, M.D., Ph.D., as the scientific keynote speaker at the 13th National Conference on Hydrocephalus. Dr. Back is a lead investigator and professor of pediatrics and neurology in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Childrens Hospital. He will address his important work on the development of strategies to promote regeneration and repair of injury to the developing and adult brain. Dr. Back is a true national and international expert on mechanisms of damage to the brain of premature infants who suffer from periventricular leukomalacia and hydrocephalus. His research is leading us rapidly towards cures that will dramatically improve the lives of these children, stated Dr. Nathan Selden, Mario and Edie Campagna Chair of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Oregon Health & Science University and Conference Medical Co-chair. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain. There are over 1 million Americans living with hydrocephalus in the U.S., yet it remains a little known condition. While 1 in every 500 infants is born with hydrocephalus, anyone at any age can acquire hydrocephalus from a brain hemorrhage, … Continue reading →

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - David Vernaza suffered traumatic brain injury after his convoy was attacked in Iraq in 2004, leaving the former Navy Seabee with a series of crippling physical injuries and others that caused a fun-loving man to live in a dark world within his mind. But after receiving years of treatment at a veterans hospital in Miami, Vernaza started to participate in sports as part of his therapy that he says helped change his life along with the dedicated support of his family. I had a lot of guilt. I had a lot of resentment, said Vernaza, who retired from the Navy in 2007 after 17 years of service and was unable to use his right arm when he returned to the U.S. and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. This past week, he and more than 60 other sailors and Coast Guardsmen who are wounded, ill or injured descended on Naval Station Norfolk to compete for a spot on Team Navy as it prepares to compete in the 2014 Wounded Warrior games in Colorado this fall. It still makes me feel part of the Navy, Vernaza, of Orlando, said about the trials to compete in shot put and … Continue reading →

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Giving soldiers the best chance of survival and a future after their service is the Army's goal with a program focusing on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Leading neurological experts visited Fort Leonard Wood Thursday to teach those soldiers and their commanders about traumatic brain injuries; how to spot them, and when and where to seek treatment. Those experts say quickly acknowledging the possibility of a traumatic brain injury and getting a screening can change lives. It can mean the difference between a recovery and making matters worse. Many soldiers and every day people receive blows much less severe than the story you are about to read but put them selves in danger by doing nothing. "In October 2006 I was a platoon leader in Iraq with the 5th Engineer Battalion while on patrol looking for IEDs, says Cpt. Joe Bogart. One detonated within five meters of my vehicle." Bogart survived the blast of that improvised explosive device, but not without lasting wounds. "Shrapnel took my right eye, he says. I had a bunch of fractures in my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, blunt trauma to my left eye, which, as an end result, I was … Continue reading →

Rebecca Powell - Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital Rebecca Powell's life changed in just seconds on July 8, 2011. Hear her story about going through Traumatic Brain Injury treatment and rehabilitation, and wh... By: GHSGiving … Continue reading →