Help for Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious medical condition that impacts how your brain works. You can get a TBI either from blunt force trauma to the head or from an object that penetrates your skull. Depending on its severity, it may cause both short- and long-term problems that affect every aspect of your life.

TBIs are quite common. In 2020, over 214,000 people required in-patient hospital care for TBIs, and more than 69,000 died from complications for them.

At Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, triple-board-certified neurologist Dr. Cory Lamar is a brain injury expert. Whether the trauma is mild — like a concussion — or severe, he can help you get your life back on track. Here’s how.

Classifying TBIs

Traumatic brain injuries are divided into two major categories: penetrating or non-penetrating (blunt).

Penetrating TBI

A penetrating TBI occurs when something penetrates your skull, entering the brain tissue and damaging it. These are also called open TBIs and can be caused by sharp objects like shrapnel, a bullet, or a knife.

Blunt TBI

A blunt TBI occurs when something hits your head hard enough to cause your brain to bounce or twists around inside your skull. These are also called closed-head TBIs and are common in car accidents, falls, or sports injuries.

Doctors further classify TBIs as being mild, moderate, or severe. A mild TBI is often called a concussion. Moderate and severe TBIs are generally grouped together.

More than 75% of all TBIs are mild, but even these can cause significant and long-term issues. For example, you might have trouble returning to your daily routine, including work. Symptoms like headache and nausea, difficulty thinking and remembering, social and emotional issues, and disrupted sleep can occur.

Most people with moderate or severe TBIs can develop significant long-term health issues, including:

• Weakness in your arms and legs
• Issues with balance and coordination
• Hearing or vision problems
• Changes in sensory perception, like touch
• Difficulty thinking or remembering

Confusion and lack of focus are also common problems, and long-term consequences include brain bleeds, seizures, permanent brain damage, and a shorter life expectancy.

Help for a TBI

If you’ve had a concussion, mental and physical rest are essential to allow your brain time to heal. Dr. Lamar will monitor your symptoms to ensure they don’t worsen, but it’s unlikely you’ll need additional treatment.

If you have a moderate-to-severe TBI, you’ll probably need to be hospitalized and be given medications to reduce the risk of complications. In addition, you might require surgery to stop a brain bleed, remove a clot, reduce the pressure inside your skull, or repair a fracture.

Brain monitoring is critical for this type of injury, so the doctor can identify complications like bruises, swelling, or hematomas (blood pockets) that develop, which may require an urgent surgical procedure.

Once you’ve left the hospital, Dr. Lamar continues to monitor your brain health and manage  your overall care. He also coordinates rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, and/or psychological therapy to deal with any emotional or mental health problems stemming from the TBI.

If you’ve had a traumatic brain injury, Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC can help manage your care and aid with your recovery. Call our Naples, Florida, office today at 239-667-5878 to set up a consultation with Dr. Lamar, or book online with us.