BC Brain Injury Lawyers Law Blog

There are several types of brain injuries. 4 common types of brain injuries are:

• Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI),
• Diffuse Axonal Injury,
• Coup-Contrecoup Injury, and
• Frontal Lobe Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injuries can develop when the head gets slammed into an object. The coup-contrecoup injury occurs when the brain bounces back and forth inside the skull. The coup injury happens when the head stops abruptly because of an impact and the brain then crashes into the skull. The contrecoup injury occurs when the brain then bounces inside the skull and impacts the opposite side of the skull.

The coup-contrecoup injury can cause additional issues. Brain bleeding and swelling can develop from the pressure of the impacts of the brain against the skulls. The fluids that feed and nourish the brain can also be disrupted. Even fragments of the skull can dislodge from the impacts and cause additional problems.

The most common causes of the coup-contrecoup injury are car accidents, an assault, shaken baby syndrome, falls and sports injuries. Patients that are dealing with a coup-contrecoup injury may want to contact a Vancouver lawyer to see if restoration might be an action worth pursuing.

Symptoms of Coup-Contrecoup Injury

The most common symptom of the coup-contrecoup injury comes in the form of a contusion at the point of initial impact. The additional symptoms will depend largely on the exact location of the injury and which parts of the brain are affected.

• Difficulties speak or understanding language
• Decision making difficulties
• Memory loss
• Difficulties with balance and coordination
• Muscle weakness or even paralysis

There are other symptoms that should be watched for after a head trauma has occurred. Dilated pupils or unequal pupils, dizziness, or vomiting can all be reasons to see a doctor immediately after an injury to the head.

Diagnosis of Coup-Contrecoup Injury

Talking to the patient can be the best way to diagnosis a potential coup-contrecoup injury. Understanding how the injury occurred can tell the medical professional a lot. There are times when the patient will not be able to talk or the interview does not positively identify the injury. These are the times when imaging tests can reveal the exact location and extent of the initial brain injury and any injuries that resulted from that initial trauma.

Diagnosing a coup-contrecoup injury should never be left to the amateur. Any time head trauma occurs the safest plan of action is to seek medical evaluation immediately. Early diagnosis can help determine the best treatment methods and reduce the risks of future complications.

Treatment of Coup-Contrecoup Injury

The severity of the head trauma and the resulting coup-contrecoup injury will drive the recovery. The more damage the brain suffers as a result of the injury then the longer the longer the required process.

Damage caused by a coup-contrecoup injury may even be irreversible. The treatments that are used are designed to decrease the risk of further damage. The main focus is the decrease in additional brain swelling and also reducing the risk of bleeding into the brain. Medications are the first line of treatment and sometimes the conditions will require neurosurgery.

A traumatic brain injury occurs in the United States every few seconds. Brain injuries are the leading cause of death for individuals considered to be in their prime of life (around 25 to 45). A diffuse axonal injury can occur when the head encounters severe trauma. The injury can also be suffered when the trauma is only mild or moderate. It often results in patients suffering comas or vegetative states.

A lawyer in the Surrey area can help speak for a patient that has been affected by a diffuse axonal injury. A lawyer can also serve as an instrument to file any legal proceeding for any accident that led to the injury.

Defining Diffuse Axonal Injury

The axon is the long fiber of the never cell that carries outgoing messages. A diffuse axonal injury is the widespread trauma to a wide number of these axons. The injury can cause brain cells to die which causes the brain to swell which can compound the injury by putting more pressure on the brain and even reducing the blood supply to the remaining healthy brain cells.

Symptoms of Diffuse Axonal Injury

Any head injury can cause a temporary loss of consciousness but a diffuse axonal injury will typically include a loss of consciousness that lasts for six hours or longer. Many of the patients that suffer from a severe diffuse axonal injury will fall into a coma and up to 90% never regain consciousness. Those that so manage to wake from a severe diffuse axonal injury will continue to suffer from impairments.

Diagnosis of Diffuse Axonal Injury

There are a number of tests that can be used to help determine the depth of injury occur with head trauma. The first step would be to question a patient that is conscious, but there are additional tests that can be performed to give more detailed explanations of any issues that might show up when head injuries occur.

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) – this test uses strong magnets and radio waves to project a cross-section of the brain to a computer screen. It can be the best way to diagnose a diffuse axonal injury.
• CT Scan – this test utilizes x-ray equipment to give details of the interior of the brain. It is not as precise as the MRI but can help with a preliminary diagnosis of diffuse axonal injury.
• SSEP, BAER, and VEP – these tests look at how the visual, auditory, and sensory pathways in the brain are currently reacting.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) – this test measures the electrical activity of the brain and can help to diagnose the areas that have been damaged during a head injury.

Treating Diffuse Axonal Injury

Dealing with the swelling of the brain caused by head trauma is the first step in treating diffuse axonal injury. The swelling can be reduced through medications that are designed to reduce inflammation. In extreme cases the only way to deal with the swelling may be surgery.

• Counseling – to help the patient deal with any issues that might come up from damage occurred by the diffuse axonal injury.
• Speech therapy – if speech has been hindered by the brain trauma.
• Physical therapy – this could be valuable if the recovery process takes a long period of time or if the injury caused issues with nerve reactions.
• Occupational therapy and adaptive equipment therapy – to help the patient adapt to the new circumstances posed by the injury.

It is very important you discuss your diffuse axonal injury treatment with a doctor.

Those who have suffered a frontal lobe brain injury or know someone who has, may be seeking lawyers that can help seek compensation for these injuries. Understanding what causes this type of injury, the symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, can help. Since the long term effects of a brain injury can cause permanent damage, it is important to know how to get long term assistance.

Frontal lobe brain injury is most commonly caused from accidents (both auto and construction), sports and violent encounters. Falls and other activities can also lead to traumatic brain injuries. This mechanism of injury usually leaves someone at fault for the accident. Injury can result from an outside force (acceleration/deceleration), penetration or impact with an object.

A frontal lobe brain injury is damage to the brain, which may or may not have other visible symptoms. Injuries are classified as a closed injury, which means the brain was not exposed during the injury, or an open injury, when there is damage to the surrounding parts of the head.

All head injuries are divided in a category based on the severity. The level is divided into either mild, moderate or severe based on several criteria. The scale used is called the “Glasgow Coma Scale”, and employs the following criteria to categorize damage:

Level of consciousness is observed through reactions to stimuli, including verbal, eye and motor reactions. The patient is then assigned a number to indicate the level of brain activity for this.

While this scale is a good guideline, the VA has also devised additional monitoring of activity through post traumatic amnesia and other symptoms. When seeking lawyers to defend you, find one that understands how brain injury is assessed and diagnosed.

For patients that have a frontal lobe brain injury, knowing the signs and symptoms in order to seek a diagnosis are essential. Often, brain injuries don’t show immediate signs – especially for closed injuries. If someone you know has experienced a significant impact to the head, watch for signs of brain injury.

These may include unconsciousness immediately after the injury, which may last from a few seconds up to several minutes. Other signs there may be a problem include a headache, no motor coordination, nausea and vomiting, or ringing ears. There may also be complaints of a bad taste inside the mouth, extreme fatigue, and a difference in sleeping. Altered thinking, confusion memory and mood changes are also often present when someone has suffered a frontal lobe injury.

How exactly is a frontal lobe brain injury diagnosed if there are no outward signs? Your physician has a litany of tests available to asses injury. The first step will be a simple neurological exam, in which the Glasgow Coma Score will be assigned to response to these tests. Once this has been finished, there are several possible avenues of further follow up.

CT scans are the preferred method in an emergency setting. This is a readily available tool that gives quick and accurate results. If a problem is found, an MRI may be used to find our more details. This method (magnetic resonance imaging), gives better long term methods of damage, but is often not used in an emergency room. The difference in the two is that a CT scan will catch immediate problems better (such as a fracture or an internal bleed) than the MRI, so a patient may ultimately get both depending on the setting. Neurologists may also use angiography, functional imaging, or other tests.

With so much concern over brain injury, no one really wants to have to find lawyers to seek compensation for damages. Brain injury can mean a lifetime of damage to the patient. What can be done to prevent this common accident?

While not every traumatic brain injury can be prevented, you should at least do what you can to minimize the damage in the event something does happen. In order to prevent frontal lobe brain injury, seat belts and child safety seats should always be used when in a vehicle, and a motorcycle helmet should always be worn.

Sports injuries are being decreased as headgear designs are continually improved, as well as changes in rules (such as eliminating spear tackling) have also lowered incidences. Playgrounds are advised to have a safe surface to fall on, such as sand or mulch, as well as grip bars and window guards.

Eliminating the occurrence is the best way to stay safe, because treatment will depend on the severity of injury. Some patients can overcome the injury, but others enter a chronic stage where brain damage is permanent and constant care is required.

The largest demographic group for victims of a frontal brain lobe injury are children – 85% of patents are under 18. This means that protecting children from falls while in high chairs, near steps, or while playing is not an option. They must be protected.

In the event you do have someone who has suffered an injury, lawyers can help get fair compensation for the medical costs that are associated with a traumatic brain injury. This means that you can take care of your loved one, in spite of challenging odds.

With any type of head injury you must be concerned about the possibility of further damage to the head and brain. With any type of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury there is always the possibility of more serious damage. That is why it is so important to have it completely checked out by a qualified medical practitioner.

One of the most common cause of a MTBI (a technical term) is caused in car collisions. It often happens in motor vehicle accidents, but also can happen when riding a bike, getting hit by a vehicle when a pedestrian, motorcycle crashes, tripping and falling, being hit by an object, and other causes – that simply cause your head to “whip” back and forth or get hit by an object. Even if there is no physical evidence of a head injury like a cut or bruise, there still is the possibility of damage that can not be seen.

The most common injury from a blow to the head is a concussion. The American Academy of Neurology has classified concussions with three grades.

• A grade I concussion is one in which the symptoms last less than 15 minutes and there has been no loss of consciousness.
• A grade II concussion is when the symptoms last longer than 15 minutes and there has been no loss of consciousness.
• A grade III concussion is a loss of consciousness.

With any of these you need to have your injury evaluated by a professional. Most concussions can be treated successfully and the patient can return to normal activities on a gradual basis.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms

There are some very typical symptoms of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) and concussion that you should be aware of especially if you or a member of your family has experienced a head trauma. Symptoms may often not show up for days or sometimes even weeks. Sometimes symptoms may last only minutes while occasionally these symptoms may last for weeks. That is why it is important to know these symptoms.

The common symptoms include, blurred vision, double vision, confusion, loss of memory, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, balance related problems, sensitivity to light and noise, slurred speech, ringing in the ears, and any change in personality or behavior. These are symptoms that you should have checked out immediately.

Remember, these symptoms won’t necessarily occur at the time of head trauma or even shortly after. There may be delay and that is why it is so important if you notice some or all of these symptoms (with yourself or someone else) any time after a car accident or any traumatic event for you or the injured person to see a doctor.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment

Most of the time concussions are treated with rest and a gradual return to normal activities. If further damage to the brain and head are suggested the patient will most likely receive a MRI or CT scan to detect further problems. These scans will provide better information for an improved diagnosis of the nature of the injury. If your injury was the result of an accident involving other people it is often wise to check with a mild traumatic brain injury lawyer to ensure your rights are protected with regards to your medical care. Remember that head injuries are sometimes difficult to diagnose and can have lasting consequences to your good heath. Treatment can also take a long time and can be expensive.

Learn to protect yourself from head injury by taking preventive steps during outdoor activities, sporting activities, and while in a vehicle. Wear a helmet with contact sports, riding a bike or using sporting vehicles and always buckle up in the car. Take precautions to protect your head from injury.
More mild traumatic brain injury information