Key Objectives of Post-TBI Rehabilitation

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious medical condition that affects the functioning of your brain. TBIs are a major cause of death and disability in the US, causing short-term and long-term medical issues that can affect every aspect of your life.

Traumatic brain injuries affect thousands of Americans every year. In 2020, more than 214,000 people required inpatient care for a TBI, and more than 69,000 people died from complications.

At Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, board-certified neurologist Dr. Cory Lamar is a fellowship-trained brain injury expert with extensive experience dealing with head trauma. If your injury is moderate to severe, you’re going to need rehabilitation. Here, Dr. Lamar discusses the key objectives of such a recovery program.

Types of traumatic brain injuries

TBIs can be penetrating or nonpenetrating (blunt):

Penetrating TBI

A penetrating TBI occurs when something sharp pierces your skull, enters your brain tissue, and damages part of your brain. Doctors also call these open TBIs. Penetrating TBIs happen if you’re hit by objects like shrapnel, a bullet, or a knife.

Nonpenetrating TBI

A nonpenetrating TBI occurs when something hits your head hard enough that your brain bounces around inside your skull and makes contact with the bone. Doctors also call these closed head TBIs or blunt TBIs. Blunt TBIs may occur from a car accident, a fall, an explosion, or when you sustain a head injury playing sports.

Doctors also classify TBIs as being mild, moderate, or severe. When talking about mild TBI, they may call it a concussion. They generally group moderate and severe TBIs together.

More than 75% of all TBIs are mild, but they can still cause significant and long-term issues, such as having trouble returning to daily routines, including being able to work. Most people with moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries can develop significant long-term health issues.

Mild TBI symptoms vary. They can develop immediately, a few days, or even a week after you were hurt. Symptoms can change as your brain recovers from injury.

Symptoms may include physical problems, difficulty thinking and remembering, social and emotional problems, and sleep-related issues. The same is true for moderate to severe TBIs, except the problems may be more pronounced and more difficult to treat.

Treating TBIs

How you treat a TBI depends on its severity and the area(s) of the brain that were damaged.

If you have a mild TBI, you can probably recover with a period of rest, over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain medications, and regular checkups with Dr. Lamar to evaluate any new or worsening symptoms.

Moderate or severe TBIs, though, are medical emergencies. They may require surgery to relieve pressure inside your skull, remove blood clots or debris from a penetrating object, repair skull fractures, or place monitors to measure the brain’s pressure and oxygenation.

A moderate to severe TBI may also require medications, including strong painkillers, anti-seizure medications, drugs to prevent blood clots, stimulants to increase alertness, and antidepressants and/or anxiolytics to reduce mental health issues.

Objectives of post-TBI rehabilitation

Once you recover from surgery and leave the hospital, you’ll probably need some form of rehabilitation. You may receive any combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, and psychological therapy.

The objectives of rehabilitation are to:

• Improve your ability to function at home
• Reintegrate into your community
• Treat the mental and physical problems caused by TBI (e.g., depression, blood clots, memory issues)
• Provide social and emotional support
• Help you adapt to internal and external changes during your recovery

If you’re at a rehab facility, a multidisciplinary team will coordinate their efforts to help you maximize the help you receive. If you’re doing outpatient rehab, Dr. Lamar helps coordinate the team treating you.

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