Traumatic brain injury takes a tremendous toll on every life it touches. Its devastating aftermath often includes paralysis, mobility impairment, and severe sensory and motor impairments. (more…)

The brain is the most important organ in the body. Unfortunately, traumatic brain injury can occur from serious accidents, and these accidents have the potential to change a person’s life forever. (more…)

Traumatic brain injury, commonly referred to as TBI, is usually an acute injury, but differs greatly from other types of acute injuries. TBI occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. Examples include when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and comes into contact with brain matter. Our brain defines who we are, so life can change drastically in an instant. The brain works in conjunction with the entire body, not just one particular area. Therefore, TBI lead to personality changes, forgetfulness, pain, numbness, or even loss of use of some body parts.

A TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the severity of the injury, and whether the injury results in prolonged unconsciousness or visible bleeding in the brain. Just because a TBI is classified as “mild” does not mean the effects are mild.  Rather, it refers to certain injury grading criteria, such whether the brain injury is visible on CT scan or MRI.

A person with a mild TBI may not lose consciousness at all or may just feel like they are “seeing stars”. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. Many individuals with mild TBI do not realize that they have suffered a traumatic brain injury and therefore do not usually seek medical care immediately, if at all. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.

Brain injuries do not heal like other injuries, and no two brain injuries are alike. Symptoms may appear right away or may not be present for days or weeks after the injury. It is important to know when a traumatic brain injury may have occurred and seek medical attention immediately.

Focal cortical injury and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are two important mechanisms in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Focal brain injuries are often associated with an injury in which the head is struck by an object or strikes a hard surface, and bleeding in the brain leads to regional damage. Diffuse brain injuries are often found in acceleration or deceleration injuries that result in diffuse lesions in the brain. It is common for both focal and diffuse brain damage to occur as the result of the same injury event, and many TBIs have aspects of both focal and diffuse injury. DAI may be more ubiquitous and may account for a greater share of disability. DAI often exhibits no obvious focal anatomical lesions, but may cause microscopic damage to neurons, supportive tissue, and axons, resulting in diffuse axonal shearing and cellular dysfunction. Receiving immediate care is essential to correct diagnosis and maximal recovery.

The diminished connectivity related to diffuse axonal injury may act to decrease neuronal activity in several brain areas, leading to widely separated areas of hypofunction. Cognitive impairments in traumatic brain injury may be a result of functional or anatomical disconnection between the cerebral cortex and deeper brain regions. Both functional imaging (PET, SPECT, and fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may provide an advantage over conventional structural neuroimaging (CT and MRI). These techniques may be more sensitive in detecting both focal injury and the indirect effects of DAI on cortical activity.  CT and MRI scans may be the conventional methods, but with advancing technology, it is important to ensure that patients are receiving the best care for their injuries. Financial burden is something that every patient is forced to endure. Let an experienced injury lawyer help you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of sustained physical, emotional, and behavioral deficits, commonly due to motor vehicle accidents, falls, workplace accidents, and medical errors. The Centers for Disease Control report that an estimated 5.3 million Americans live with disabilities associated with a TBI. The pathophysiology of TBI is not completely understood. Current neuroimaging techniques have limited sensitivity to detect physiological alterations caused by TBI. Mild, and some moderate, TBI can be difficult to diagnose because the injuries are often not visible on conventional acute MRI or CT scanning.

Approximately 70% of patients with TBI do not show visible lesions using conventional MRI or CT techniques. The absence of abnormality on conventional neuroimaging techniques in the majority of mild TBI patients, even with post-concussive symptoms and cognitive and/or behavioral deficits, illustrates the limited prognostic value of conventional neuroimaging techniques as well. Alternative methods that can be used to show the true extent of a TBI include Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). These advanced imaging techniques are available, but sometimes come at a higher price and often are not covered by insurance companies. However, improper diagnosis may limit a patient’s care and recovery from injury. With the help of an experienced injury attorney, it is crucial to obtain the financial compensation deserved, in order to receive the best in care.

Axonal injuries, a major factor for the cognitive and behavioral deficits in TBI patients, are commonly induced by sudden acceleration-deceleration and/or rotational forces. The subsequent tissue injury is characterized by axonal stretching, disruption, and eventual separation of nerve fibers. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), an imaging technique based on the Brownian motion of water through tissues, measures the dependence of water diffusivity on tissue microstructure. Unlike conventional MRI, which is primarily sensitive to bleeding from nearby torn capillaries, but not to axonal damage itself, DTI provides a more direct measure of the integrity of the white matter fibers. It is suggested that axonal injury due to tissue shearing and stretching is a leading cause of persistent post-concussive symptoms in mTBI. The bleeding is only indirectly related to the axonal injury, and the sensitivity for detecting bleeding decreases quickly over time— approximately 2 weeks. Time is of the essence to ensure maximal recovery. In several research studies, DTI has been successfully applied in TBI cases. It is important to be educated about all of the options available for diagnosis and care. Contacting a personal injury lawyer early can help save you and your family the worry about financial burden, so that you can focus on recovering your health.

Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of disability in the United States. While physical and cognitive rehabilitation is essential, psychological factors must be addressed as well. Major depressive disorder may be the most common and disabling psychiatric condition in individuals with traumatic brain injury. If left untreated, patients can face greater functional disability, slow or incomplete recovery, decreased cognitive functioning, and increased health care costs. Medical debt can build up quickly, leaving you unable to receive care essential to a complete recovery. Having an experienced personal injury attorney on your side can help you avoid getting lost in mounds of debt, without sacrificing quality of care.

Studies have shown that even without previous history of psychological dysfunction, over half of traumatic brain injury patients will meet criteria for major depressive disorder within one year of their injury. The majority of cases can be diagnosed within the first month. The majority of patients face 4 to 6 months of depression due to their traumatic brain injury. This can have a devastating impact on your career and financial situation, not to mention the strain put on your family. The Crosley Law Firm can help ensure that you and your family are provided for during this hard time.

If left untreated, major depressive disorder can lead to panic disorder and other anxiety disorders. Less than half of patients will receive antidepressants or counseling, and continue to live with a lower quality of life. Effective depression treatment may reduce disability. Treatment may be as simple as taking sertraline or psychotherapy and counseling. Mental health services have yet to be integrated into standard care for traumatic brain injury patients, but that does not mean you must suffer. Regardless of the severity of your traumatic brain injury, an injury lawyer like the Crosley Law Firm can help.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1.7 million people each year sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 75% of these injuries are concussions or other mild forms of TBI. What seems like a mild concussion can be extremely dangerous. Common signs of a concussion include a vacant stare, delayed responses to questions, disorientation, slurred speech, lack of coordination and poor short-term memory. Symptoms might last anywhere from 15 minutes to several days. It is important to recognize the symptoms and take appropriate action. Studies have shown that anyone that has had one concussion is likely to have another. If you receive a second concussion before your brain has fully healed from the first, the results can be devastating. Coma, or even death, is possible. An injury lawyer like Crosley Law Firm can help ensure that anyone injured receives the appropriate care during the most critical time.

For any injury, patients should be allowed a sufficient healing period before resuming normal activities. In more severe cases, appropriate medications may be necessary for maximal recovery. Corticosteroids have been used for over 30 years to treat severe head injuries. Physicians believe that they work to reduce swelling and reduce both brain damage and death. In one of the largest studies ever conducted around the world, researchers showed that individuals treated with steroids, specifically methylprednisolone, were 18% more likely to die within 2 weeks of their brain injury. If you have been given steroids for any type of traumatic brain injury, you need to contact a personal injury attorney in San Antonio. They can help you receive compensation and fight for the proper care now.

Studies have shown a surprisingly high rate of long-term sequelae due to head injuries. Many individuals with even mild head injury remain disabled one year later. During a prospective cohort study, researchers followed traumatic brain injury patients over a 5-7 year period. Over 50% of the individuals followed had moderate to severe disabilities as a result of their injuries. This result was similar to the rate of disability simply one year post injury. This has led researchers to believe that the first year after a traumatic brain injury can determine the type of recovery one may have over time. This is also the time when most patients develop cognitive and emotional disabilities, such as depression and anxiety. These can have significant impacts on work and family life, making long-term recovery even more problematic.

Less than 10% of patients receive the rehabilitation or therapy that could have potentially helped them make a more complete recovery, both physically and mentally. Even if recovery during the first year is substantial, lasting emotional defects can impact patients later in life. Development of new disabilities shows a strong correlation that could have been avoided if proper rehabilitation was provided, even late after injury. Financial constraints are a major reason that patients do not continue on to rehabilitation or therapy. With insurance companies placing restrictions on rehabilitation visits, many individuals are forced to skip essential care. A San Antonio personal injury attorney can help you receive the care you need most. Providing for a stable future for yourself, as well as your family, is of utmost importance. You should not be denied care that years of research has proven to be essential to maximal recovery from your brain injury.

Have you ever felt like the doctor missed your diagnosis? The accuracy of traumatic brain injury diagnosis is essential to maximal recovery. Even mild brain injury can have lasting consequences that may have been avoidable. If emergency doctors spent more time with patients and asked targeted questions, they would be able to catch more cases of mild traumatic brain injury. It is estimated that over 50% of mild cases go undiagnosed, which can lead to long-term sequelae many years down the road when you may never expect anything. With nearly 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries occurring annually, at a cost of over $60 billion in healthcare, it is detrimental to fail to contact a San Antonio personal injury lawyer before it is too late.

The top four signs that you have mild traumatic brain injury resulting from blunt trauma to the head or excessive acceleration/ deceleration forces (whiplash) include:

1. Any period of observed or self-reported transient confusion, disorientation, or impaired consciousness.

2. Any period of observed or self-reported dysfunction of memory (amnesia) around the time of injury lasting 24 hours or less.

3. Any period of observed or self-reported loss of consciousness lasting 30 minutes or less.

4. Acute seizure after injury to the head.

If you have had any of these occurrences, you should ensure that you obtain the correct diagnosis. Retrospective chart reviews have shown that too many people with mild traumatic brain injuries are being released from the hospital too early and there is no mention of the correct diagnosis in their medical records. This lack of documentation can have a major impact on legal implications regarding your health. For those that were never diagnosed correctly and may potentially never fully recover, an injury lawyer in San Antonio can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. No one wants to wonder if they will go into financial bankruptcy over medical bills from an undiagnosed injury. The Crosley Law Firm can help ease this burden.

Over 3 million Americans sustain some form of traumatic brain injuries each year. Many of these may be mild and therefore incorrectly diagnosed, but the long-term consequences can be severe. Injury can be caused by a direct blow to the skull, sudden jerking movement as in an accident, or several minor impacts as in sports. Different forms of sensory, motor, and neurocognitive symptoms can manifest as a result of traumatic brain injury, disrupting your life and that of your family. Finding an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Antonio can help ensure that you are able to afford the best care.

Losing consciousness for over 30 minutes dramatically increases the likelihood of Alzheimer’s later in life. Also, only 2 hours after severe traumatic brain injury, amyloid plaques may be visible in 30% of brain injury patients. This shows a correlation to plaques found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinsonism. Dementia pugilistica, common in boxers and football players, does not show this same morphology, but instead typically shows neurofibrillary tangles and tau proteins on brain scan and favors a more Parkinson-like syndrome. In the long run, this can be hard to differentiate from traditionally idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Having an injury lawyer can help you ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. The majority of football injuries are not properly documented because the focus of coaches and players has been to downplay injuries to stay on the game. This type of negligence can drastically affect one’s career.

To increase your chances of complete recovery, it is important to receive the appropriate tests and management of care. Traumatic brain injuries can cause the accumulation of many neurodegenerative proteins in the brain, the majority of which are not found until it is too late. Determining the type and severity of injury early on can decrease the chances of long-term sequelae.