Recovery From a Brain Injury: What to Expect

People in the Atlanta area suffer traumatic brain injuries in a variety of ways, from crashes involving motorcycles, trucks, and cars to falls, assaults, and other incidents. Any time the body is violently jolted or hit, the shock and impact of the brain against the skull can cause tremendous damage.

People often do not realize the severity of a brain injury at the time of an accident. There may be no visible signs of injury, and symptoms of brain damage may not appear for hours, days, or longer. The injured person may experience balance difficulties, headaches, dizziness, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech, and a range of other symptoms. They may lose consciousness and experience erratic emotional and behavioral changes.

So what happens after that? Do the symptoms go away on their own? Is there treatment for a traumatic brain injury? What does recovery look like? Everyone has unique physiology, and no two injuries are quite the same, so there’s no clear blueprint for recovery. However, after assisting many clients who suffered from brain injuries, here are some facts we’ve learned and features we’ve observed.

When Recovery Seems Like It’s Still in the Distant Future

The early stages of recovery from a traumatic brain injury often look pretty dire. Bleeding, tissue swelling, and changes in the chemistry of the brain will often negatively affect functioning even in the undamaged portions of the brain. The injured person may be in a coma and show no sign that they are aware of their surroundings. 

However, proper medical treatment can often initiate healing in the brain. The first step is to reduce swelling. Doctors can sometimes accomplish this with medications that draw fluid from the brain and reduce inflammation. They might use hypothermia to slow brain metabolism or hyperventilation to reduce pressure by constricting blood vessels. Many times, surgery is used to relieve pressure.

When doctors reduce brain swelling, blood flow may increase, and brain chemistry may stabilize. This may improve brain function, enabling the victim to experience cycles of sleep and wakefulness and for reflexes to function. This stage of recovery is sometimes referred to as a vegetative state.

If the person who suffered a traumatic brain injury is able to recognize objects and detect where sounds are coming from, they may be in what is known as a minimally conscious state. The person may be able to respond to commands or answer questions at some times but not others.

Emerging into Consciousness

Unfortunately, some injured individuals never progress to full consciousness, and some never even make it out of a coma. However, when an individual with a traumatic brain injury continues to recover and reaches the point where they can answer simple questions and demonstrate that they know how to use objects like a spoon, then they have emerged out of the minimally conscious state. 

The transition to consciousness can be disturbing. The injured person may be confused and disoriented for a considerable period of time, having problems with focus, memory, and mood swings. Stimulation such as noise or bright light may cause agitation. The recovering person may have trouble distinguishing reality from dreams and may get frustrated, frightened, or angry.

This behavior is often extremely inconsistent. Some days may be very painful while others seem positive. This back-and-forth progress can continue for weeks or months. Some people remain at this stage of recovery, and while they are awake and able to communicate, they are not the same person they were before.

Later Stages of Recovery

In many cases, someone who suffers a traumatic brain injury experiences their most significant improvement in the first six months. As physical, mental, and emotional function begins to improve, the injured person and their family may experience a sense of relief and hope. But then recovery often begins to slow or stop, and this can bring on depression.

It can be challenging to determine when someone has reached their maximum level of recovery or to predict the extent of the long-term effects.

Moving Forward After a Traumatic Brain Injury

Doctors and researchers still have a lot to learn about brain function and the effects of injuries. Even when doctors conduct extensive scans of the brain, the images often do not reveal the full extent of an injury, so it can be challenging to assess the severity.

Some possible learn term effects to watch for include:

• Difficulty recalling information and applying knowledge 
• Problems learning new things
• Depression and anxiety
• Sleep disturbances
• Inability to concentrate or pay attention
• Changes in personality, including increased aggression and impulsive behavior
• Seizures
• Chronic headaches or fatigue
• Coordination difficulty and weakness
• Changes in sensory interpretation

In addition, those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries are often more prone to becoming stricken by other conditions, such as neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. They frequently experience post-traumatic stress disorder. The combined impact of these effects makes it difficult to retain even a basic job, let alone continue with a demanding career. Individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury run a high risk of succumbing to substance abuse and frequently being readmitted to the hospital for a variety of physical and mental conditions.

Even when an individual looks, talks, and acts fine one moment, the damage suffered may continue to plague them in new ways so that recovery may never be complete.

We Fight for the Resources Necessary to Support TBI Victims

Even a brain injury that is moderate in severity can have long-term detrimental effects on someone’s life. Constant care and assistance may be required to maintain functions that other people take for granted.

Far too often, people underestimate the needs of those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, and they settle for damage awards that don’t provide sufficient resources to meet those needs. At Michael M. Day Law Firm, our knowledgeable team understands the ways that a brain injury can damage someone’s life even when they appear to have made a full recovery. We advocate for full compensation to offset losses and meet the full range of future needs. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury that was caused by someone else’s irresponsible behavior, we invite you to contact us for a confidential free consultation to learn more about the assistance our team may be able to provide.