9400 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 305, The Woodlands, Texas 77380 • CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION : (832) 592-1108
9400 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 305, The Woodlands, Texas 77380 • CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION : (832) 592-1108
At Wham & Rogers, our traumatic brain injury lawyers regularly speak with clients who are battling brain injuries. Below, we discuss important facts about TBIs.
If you have a brain injury due to negligence or wrongdoing, call us for a free consultation at 832-592-1108.
The link between football and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – recently admitted to by the NFL – has been well established for many years. It has become a more prevalent topic in the media of late, however.
Football players suffer hundreds or even thousands of concussions and sub-concussions by the time they conclude their professional careers. That professional football players are extremely likely to develop brain disorders (with estimates as high as 97% in all positions excepting kickers) is thus somewhat unsurprising. What's more, the sheer number of concussions they receive might make it seem unlikely that just one or even a few concussions could cause serious brain injury.
It is true that a single concussion is unlikely to cause any long-term problems. In fact, numerous studies have shown that around 80-90% of people who suffer a concussion will have no post-concussive symptoms three months later. Studies led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and others demonstrate, however, that the other 10-20% who suffer even one concussion will have devastating symptoms out to six months, one year, and beyond. Some studies have even found that there are Vietnam veterans continuing to suffer from concussions they sustained in their service to this day.
Post-concussive symptoms can include:
Studies have also shown that concussions are strongly linked to increased risk of suicide and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ALS later in life. It has been scientifically proven that concussions are, for many people, far more serious than is generally believed by the public.
Brain scientists are now largely in agreement that the word “concussion” should be abandoned by the medical profession. They argue that, not only is “concussion” associated with a minor injury that has no serious medical consequences, but the word itself is ill-defined and confusing. Concussions, in medical terminology, are in fact just one type of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Concussions fall into the category of Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (mTBI) – ones in which a blow to the head or a whiplash injury results in an “alteration of consciousness” (typically a state of confusion following a head injury), or loss of consciousness for 30 minutes or less.
A diagnosis of “concussion” after a patient is knocked unconscious for 30 minutes might lead them to believe that the injury was not serious and that there will be no long-term symptoms. This may be especially so after the patient is cleared by a CT scan. Unfortunately, CT scans are, in fact, incapable of demonstrating the presence of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. What’s more, studies have found that emergency rooms in the U.S. fail to diagnose as many as 55% of Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries.
Brain scientists have noted that the most common type of injury, and the most likely to occur with an mTBI, is known as Diffuse Axonal Injury, or DAI. DAI occurs when, as a result of a blow to the head or a whiplash injury, the brain is “rattled” against the inside of the skull. As the brain is bounced against the skull, different parts of the brain slide over one another. When this happens, the axons connecting various neurons (brain cells) can be pulled and broken, or “sheared.”
When axons are sheared, three important things happen:
This all serves to highlight the unpredictable nature of an mTBI, in that:
While, as noted above, only about 10-20% of people who suffer an mTBI will have symptoms beyond three months, that 10-20% risk is cumulative. That is, each time a person sustains an mTBI, their risk of having long-term, devastating symptoms goes up. That is because, when axonal connections are lost, other axons attempt to “make up for” the lost connections – and, typically, they do within a few months. With each subsequent mTBI, however, more and more connections are lost and more neurons die, making it increasingly difficult for the remaining neurons to catch up.
The CDC has reported that roughly 1.5 million Americans suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury each year – 75% of those are mTBIs. It is worth noting again that hospitals in the U.S. have been reported to miss more than half of mTBIs in the emergency room – making the CDC’s report likely to be an underestimation of the true incidence.
Considering the potentially devastating consequences of mTBI, and the substantial likelihood of sustaining them, it is no surprise that research into the treatment of mTBI and the prevention of the symptoms that can result is widespread, well-funded, and ongoing.
Following a head injury, the best steps that one can take include a combination of emergency and long-term medical care. Patients and their families should do the following:
It is common to hear about TBIs and mTBIs related to sports like football. But these injuries can occur for many different reasons. Auto accidents are another common cause of serious head injuries. Additionally, workplace injuries, construction accidents, and other accidents can cause TBIs.
Any time a TBI or mTBI is the result of someone else's negligence, the victim may be eligible to pursue compensation. Compensation after a head injury may include medical costs, loss of income, pain and suffering, and more.
If you are suffering a serious head injury due to someone else's negligence, call the Traumatic Brain Injury lawyers at Wham & Rogers, PLLC. For a free consultation, call us at 832-592-1108.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. None of the information on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
9400 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 305, The Woodlands,
Texas 77380.
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Phone: (832) 592-1108
Text: (832) 413-1428
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Free Consultations 24/7
Phone: (832) 592-1108
Text: (832) 413-1428
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The information on this website is for general information purposes only. None of the information on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The verdicts and settlements listed are representative and are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of other claims.
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