Orange County Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

These symptoms are a part of the normal recovery process for a brain injury. They can be expected to resolve within about 3 to 6 months for a majority of people.

Can TBI Symptoms Get Worse Over Time?

TBI symptoms can get worse over time, but how long those symptoms persist depends on the type of TBI you sustain. As you can probably imagine, people with a moderate or severe TBI can generally expect symptoms for a longer period of time than people with a mild TBI (i.e., a concussion).

Post-Concussion Syndrome

TBI symptoms do resolve fairly quickly for a majority of people who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury. However, for about 20% of people they don’t. When TBI symptoms continue to persist for months or years after an injury, it’s referred to as a post-concussion syndrome. According to the VA, a certain percentage of people with head injuries can be expected to experience the following symptoms of post-concussion syndrome at some point in their recovery:

• Sleep difficulties: 80 percent
• Poor concentration: 71 percent
• Irritability: 66 percent
• Fatigue: 65 percent
• Depression: 63 percent
• Memory problems: 59 percent
• Headaches: 59 percent
• Anxiety: 58 percent
• Trouble thinking: 57 percent
• Dizziness: 52 percent
• Blurry or double vision: 45 percent
• Sensitivity to bright light: 40 percent

These symptoms of post-concussion syndrome tend to gradually dissipate over time. Like any other injured body part, your brain needs time to heal itself through rest and relaxation. You wouldn’t go for a run the day after spraining your ankle, would you? The brain is no different. It also needs time to recover. People who give their brain sufficient time to rest before jumping back into their normal routine experience these symptoms for a shorter period of time than those who don’t. Rest assured, these symptoms will likely go away within 3 to 6 months without any formal treatment. If your symptoms are getting worse, this is a sign you need to cut back on your work and responsibilities so you’re under less stress.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

CTE refers to a degenerative brain condition caused by repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries. According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a single mild TBI won’t necessarily cause CTE. Rather, evidence suggests that people with multiple mild traumatic brain injuries have a greater risk of developing CTE, which is a type of dementia. Repeated hits to the head cause a buildup of the protein called “tau,” which has been linked to the death of brain cells. Damage to brain cells that are necessary for healthy brain function causes neurological changes, such as: aggression, changes in personality, confusion, depression, difficulty with balance and movement, impulsive behavior, and memory loss. These symptoms of CTE may not appear until many years or decades later. And unfortunately, a definitive diagnosis of CTE can only be made after death during an autopsy. TBI symptoms can persist long-term, sometimes even life-long, for people who sustain a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury. These people may require extensive rehabilitation for persistent cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms. Let’s take a look at some of the long-term consequences.

Dementia

Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. Older adults who sustain a moderate TBI have a 2.3 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which is a type of dementia; those with a severe TBI have a 4.5 times greater risk according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Seizures

Seizures occur when the brain has a sudden surge of electrical activity. These electrical disturbances in the brain can happen to 1 to 5 out of every 10 people who sustain a traumatic brain injury according to the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The risk of having one of these seizures increases with the severity of the TBI. For example, seizures may affect as much as 50 percent of penetrating brain injury patients, 25-30 percent of severe TBI patients, and 5-10 percent mild to moderate TBI patients.

Mortality

Traumatic brain injuries are associated with increased mortality. People with a moderate to severe TBI who undergone inpatient rehabilitation are 2.2 times more likely to die as compared to the general population and have a reduced life expectancy of 6.6 years on average according to the Journal of Neurotrauma.

What Is the Best Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Recovery from a traumatic brain injury varies quite a bit depending upon the severity of the injury. With that being said, every TBI patient will require rest so the brain can heal, and probably require medication to relieve headaches, like Neurontin.

Monitoring

If you sustain a TBI and go the emergency room, you won’t be discharged from the hospital until your condition has stabilized. In fact, you might even be admitted to Neurocritical Care, which is the ICU for people with a life-threatening brain injury. There are several devices that physicians will use to monitor the condition of your brain injury.