Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys

Secondary Health Complications in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

Many individuals who have suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) will experience any of a number of secondary medical complications. While these are not different types of TBI, they are serious medical problems that result from the injury and need immediate treatment. Usually, these secondary medical issues manifest in one or more of the following categories:

• Physical
• Cognitive
• Communicative
• Sensory
• Emotional / Behavioral

Physical

By far, the most common physical symptoms in TBI patients are chronic pain and headaches.

Nearly 50% of people suffering from a TBI experience post-traumatic seizures, and the severity of these seizures increase with the severity of the initial trauma. In general, doctors can treat these seizures with medication within the first week, and longer should the seizures persist.

Motor problems and diseases such as Parkinson’s are rare, but can occur in TBI patients. Tremor, ataxia, and myoclonus are other movement disorders that may manifest following serious head injuries.

Cognitive

Most individuals who suffer from a severe head injury will experience some form of cognitive dysfunction. The most common disorder is memory loss. 20-79% of individuals suffering from closed head trauma will experience some form of memory loss following a TBI.

Post-traumatic Amnesia (PTA) is also common in TBI patients. The effects of the accident may impair either an individual’s memory of events that happened before their accident, or memories of events following their accident.

Communicative

Various communication problems are also common in TBI patients. Two of the most common disorders are aphasia and dysarthria. Aphasia impairs an individual’s ability to understand spoken and written language, whereas dysarthria patients are able to think in their native language, but experience difficulty in expressing their thoughts.

Sensory

Sensory deprivation can occur in all five senses following a traumatic brain injury, but the most common problems occur with an individual’s vision. Oftentimes, individuals have difficulties focusing on object or understanding what it is they are looking at.

Emotional / Behavioral

Finally, a variety of emotional and behavioral problems may occur in head trauma individuals, often manifesting as mood or personality changes. Oftentimes, the region of the brain affected determines the behavior of the individual. For example, individuals who damage their frontal lobe are more likely to act inappropriately or exhibit childish behavior, while an individual who has damage to their temporal lobe may display irritability or aggression.

If you or someone you know has experienced a traumatic brain injury, schedule a consultation with the brain injury lawyers at the Williams Kherkher firm today at 866.950.9000.