Head Trauma

When you bump your head no matter how lightly, this is a head trauma. A mild trauma, such as a concussion, can be taken care of with rest and diligent monitoring of the patient to make sure they are conscious and not showing symptoms of a more serious injury. The more serious traumas such as a skull fracture, gunshot wound or head injury in an automobile accident should be looked at right away in a hospital setting. The brain is a very important and sensitive organ which is usually well protected by the skull. It is a severe injury to or through the skull that can set off life threatening brain injury. A patient would need to be hospitalized and have an x-ray plus possibly a CT scan to determine what part of the brain was injured and if there is anything that medical science can do to correct the damage. Observing the state of the patient, i.e. are they able to move their extremities, can they focus their eyes, can they speak or do they understand commands, will also help in determining the extent of the damage.

People make miraculous recoveries from head trauma when all hope might have been lost. In the case of a gunshot wound, the track that the bullet took through the brain will determine if the patient may recover fully or be left with some sort of disability. The part of treatment that is also totally necessary is rehabilitation. This is where the patient works hard to reconnect the synapses of the brain to everyday function through repetition and exercises. However, even with rehabilitation a trauma such as this can leave a victim unable to think correctly, walk, speak, communicate, and successful complete their activities of daily living. Rehabilitation can help a patient get as much function back as there is to get, but this is also expensive and demanding on the patient and on family members.

When a family member suffers a head trauma from which they are struggling to recover, the family needs help and support from people who understand the type of injury and the time and money that will be necessary to gain functionality. Not everyone understands that this type of trauma can cause serious financial problems to a family due to medical costs and the fact that the patient is no longer working and not everyone considers that the incident that caused the trauma may have some legal solutions. The Catastrophic Injury Resource Center has experienced legal resources and information from people who very familiar with this type of injury.

For experienced and empathetic help with an injury such as this please contact the Catastrophic Injury Resource Center at 1-800-669-7700 or visit their website at http://www.catastrophicinjury.com for more information.