Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Floridas federally-designated disability rights advocacy group sued one of the countrys largest brain-injury centers, alleging the facility is blocking its efforts to probe complaints of recent patient mistreatment. The Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation prevented an investigator from interviewing witnesses and from visiting locations on campus where alleged abuse occurred, according to the lawsuit, filed by Disability Rights Florida in U.S. District Court in Tampa. One investigator was asked to leave the Wauchula, Florida facility, the advocacy group said in the lawsuit. One complaint involved a patient who was allegedly improperly restrained. The second concerns an allegation of two staffers physically abusing a patient. Both incidents occurred within the past week or so, said Sylvia Smith, a spokeswoman for Disability Rights Florida. The institute has always allowed the disability group immediate and unlimited access to investigate abuse charges, said Jay Adams, an attorney for the brain-injury facility, in an e-mailed statement. He said the center cooperates fully with the group and with state regulators and it is unfortunate that they have filed this unsubstantiated complaint rather than focusing their resources and efforts on the health and well- being of Floridas disabled. Bloomberg's Investigation: Instead of providing care, Florida brain center … Continue reading →

Published: Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 12:01 a.m. The Lynnwood resident visited his friend, Colton Wilson, 21, in a hospital room shortly after he fell off his skateboard and hit his head. Tardif, 31, spoke with Wilson's mother and older sister. Then he got to work. "I'm a big energy person and I felt their energy," Tardiff said. "I called a couple of friends and asked, 'What are we able to do?'" In August, he founded The Colton Can Foundation to raise money for Wilson's recovery. With the help of other volunteers, Tardif last month held The Colton Can Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day at The Jet Bar and Grill in Mill Creek. The event included a concert by "American Idol" winner Kris Allen and other artists. It brought in a crowd of more than 400 people and raised about $18,000. "We had a great time and it was exactly what we wanted it to be," Tardif said. "It really honored Colton." Wilson is now out of the hospital and working toward recovery at a skilled nursing facility in Northgate. As a South Whidbey High School baseball player, Wilson battled bone cancer and used his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in … Continue reading →

Published: Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 12:01 a.m. The Lynnwood resident visited his friend, Colton Wilson, 21, in a hospital room shortly after he fell off his skateboard and hit his head. Tardif, 31, spoke with Wilson's mother and older sister. Then he got to work. "I'm a big energy person and I felt their energy," Tardiff said. "I called a couple of friends and asked, 'What are we able to do?'" In August, he founded The Colton Can Foundation to raise money for Wilson's recovery. With the help of other volunteers, Tardif last month held The Colton Can Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day at The Jet Bar and Grill in Mill Creek. The event included a concert by "American Idol" winner Kris Allen and other artists. It brought in a crowd of more than 400 people and raised about $18,000. "We had a great time and it was exactly what we wanted it to be," Tardif said. "It really honored Colton." Wilson is now out of the hospital and working toward recovery at a skilled nursing facility in Northgate. As a South Whidbey High School baseball player, Wilson battled bone cancer and used his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in … Continue reading →

After coming home from Iraq, Ray Rivas life had become a grind of rehab and chronic pain from a brain injury. On that morning in July 2009, he told his wife he hadnt slept the night before the headaches that had plagued him since a mortar shell exploded near him three years earlier often robbed him of sleep. But Colleen Rivas said her husband was in good spirits as he drove away from their New Braunfels home. He left with a doughnut in his hand and a smile on his face, she said. Instead of going to his vocational rehab session at Easter Seals in San Antonio, the 53-year-old Army Reserve lieutenant colonel drove to Brooke Army Medical Center and overdosed on sleeping pills in a parking lot. A suicide note was found with his body. I was totally caught off guard, Colleen Rivas said. Three years later, Im still shocked at what he did. A drumbeat of media attention has accompanied the toll of active-duty suicides, along with a stack of official reports with titles like Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide and growing alarm from the Department of Defense and Congress. Military suicides jumped about 50 … Continue reading →

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injuries are a form of acquired brain injury in which a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. This can occur when an individuals head suddenly and violently hits an object, such as can happen in car accidents, or if something pierces the scull and damages the brain tissue. Not all brain injuries are caused by trauma to a persons head and some are the result of brain bleeds, known as hemorrhages. Around half of patients with a severe brain injury will need surgery to repair ruptured blood vessels known as hematomas, or bruised brain tissue called contusions. However, the severity of the brain injury can vary significantly, depending on how much damage to the brain occurred. SYMPTOMS: There are some symptoms associated with traumatic brain injuries ranging from mild, moderate, to severe: Mild traumatic brain injuriesmay cause headaches, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in the mouth, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, attention, concentration, and thinking. People with a mild traumatic brain injury also normally do not lose consciousness at the time of the injury, or if they do, only for a few minutes. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries … Continue reading →

Conway firefighter Danny Collins suffered an brain injury while training in a dive class in Hot Springs and has been transported to Shreveport for treatment. What was thought to be an embolism is still undetermined, according to Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry. He said doctors in Shreveport are still monitoring the situation. Castleberry said Collins was taking part in dive training class Saturday and was in about 20 feet of water performing a search grid task with fellow firefighter Ty Ledbetter. Ledbetter said he felt a tug on his line and found that Collins had become tangled. Both worked on fixing the line and emerging to the surface when Collins had problems breathing. It was a blessing that the doctor in Hot Springs had seen this kind of injury before and knew what to do, Castleberry said. He knew what type of brain injury this is. Collins was able to see his wife, Brandi before being airlifted to Shreveport for treatment. His family and a liaison from the fire department are now in Shreveport with Collins. Castleberry said he will spend about a week in ICU, spending time in a hyperbaric chamber for his injuries. Castleberry and fellow firefighter Ricky … Continue reading →

Courtesy Photo Hack What do you think has contributed to the greater awareness of traumatic brain injuries in recent years? The media attention to the care of Wounded Warriors in 2007 focused awareness on several issues including traumatic brain injury, calling TBI the signature wound of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This led to a large appropriation to improve the care for TBI and psychological health and to significantly accelerate research in these areas. This was followed by increasing scrutiny of traumatic brain injuries in sports. What are some of the most promising fields of research? Improved screening and diagnostic tools for TBI show the most promise for early advances in care for traumatic brain injury. Much work is being done to develop improved treatments, including pharmaceuticals and advanced rehabilitation, but this will take somewhat longer to reach the clinic. What are some of the ways in which the Army is studying mild traumatic brain injury? More than 500 research projects in traumatic brain injury have been undertaken since 2007, almost half of which study mild TBI. Most of these projects are performed by partnering with academic researchers throughout the U.S. As a leader in the field, how far … Continue reading →

Richmond, Va. -- About concussions What is a concussion? A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. Concussions also can occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Doctors may describe these injuries as mild because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even so, their effects can be serious. Concussions are a common type of sports injury. National Library of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention How common are concussions? Each year, an estimated 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury in the U.S. About 75 percent are mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions. Of those suffering a traumatic brain injury, about 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.4 million are treated and released from an emergency department. The number of people who suffer a concussion and do not seek treatment or who are treated in places other than emergency rooms is not known. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention What are the top causes of concussions? (based on emergency department data) falls See the original post here: Concussions at a glance … Continue reading →

Graston Technique stainless steel instruments The fact that football, like soccer, is a concussive sport was underscored when earlier in September the National Football League said it was donating $30 million for brain injury research to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Yet several efforts have been made to make football a less dangerous sport or at least one where action can be taken quickly if there is any evidence of injury. Here are two. Concussion Screening Tests Just five years ago, screening tests that provide a baseline reading for how an athletes brain is functioning wasnt available, said Keith Cronin, a St. Louis, Missouri,physical therapist and center manager at SSM-Select Physical Therapy. The ImPACT test is used by many hospitals, including Cincinnati Childrens Medical Center, Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital and University of Chicaho hospitals; several NFL teams including Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and the New England Patriots and other professional sport teams; and sports medicine centers around the country. Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue MobilizationThis kind of therapy is to treat injuries like tendinpathies, diseases of the tendon like tendinitis and tendinosis, and allows the athlete to keep moving despite the injury. For instance, the Graston Technique uses stainless … Continue reading →

Public release date: 21-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Lauren Scrivo lscrivo@kesslerfoundation.org 973-324-8384 Kessler Foundation WEST ORANGE, N.J.Two neuroscientists at Kessler Foundation received grants from the New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research. Helen Genova, Ph.D., research scientist in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research was awarded a three-year Individual Research Grant totaling $462,103. Starla Weaver, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research, received a three-year Fellowship Research Grant for $199,764. Kessler Foundation conducts cognitive and mobility rehabilitation research in brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis. Nancy Chiaravalloti, Ph.D., director of Traumatic Brain Injury and Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, commented, "We are pleased to have the support of the Commission for these important studies. Expanding our knowledge of how TBI affects brain function will help us to devise more effective strategies for cognitive rehabilitation." Dr. Genova is interested in the long-term cognitive dysfunction that can cause disability after brain injury. While some recover over time, a significant number of individuals show continued impairment and even progressive cognitive decline. The identification of an accurate and reliable predictor of cognitive outcome would help to guide patients and families through the recovery process, but such a predictor … Continue reading →