Healing the Mind: Treatments for Brain Injuries Available for New York Injury Victims
By Ross Cellino
New Yorkers must be aware that direct blunt-force trauma to the head can lead to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that can cause loss of vision, seizures, and severe headaches. You could be walking to work on the Williamsburg Bridge when a distracted driver crashes into you and causes head trauma. Thankfully, there are many treatments for brain injuries that can help reduce aggressive or painful symptoms.
Some examples of TBIs a New Yorker can suffer from a personal injury accident include concussions, contusions, hematomas, and coup-contrecoup brain injuries.
After suffering a TBI, victims must go to the hospital for diagnostic testing so that a healthcare professional can assess the severity of the brain injury. Many treatments for brain injuries exist that can help mitigate the symptoms of a TBI, such as medication, therapy, and surgery.
If you suffered a TBI, you could hold the at-fault party accountable for damages, such as medical bills, lost earning potential, and pain and suffering, in a traumatic brain injury claim.
How Can New Yorkers Suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when someone receives a direct blow to the head that damages the brain. A TBI affects how a person thinks, sees, speaks, hears, and acts. Some signs and symptoms of a TBI can include severe headaches, vision loss, speech issues, loss of consciousness, seizures, nausea, problems concentrating, and sensitivity to light and sound.
New Yorkers can suffer a traumatic brain injury during a personal injury accident. Direct head trauma caused by another party’s negligence can result in a TBI, such as a concussion, contusion, or coup-contrecoup brain injury. New Yorkers can suffer head trauma while driving in a motor vehicle, commuting on foot, working, visiting a public property, or receiving medical attention.
The following are the personal injury accidents that can cause a New Yorker to suffer a TBI:
- Car accident
- Truck accident
- Motorcycle accident
- Bus accident
- Pedestrian accident
- Bicycle accident
- Slip and fall accident
- Medical malpractice
- Exposure to a dangerous product
- Construction site accident
Treatments for Brain Injuries: Available Medications
Following a New York personal injury accident that causes head trauma, the victim should go to the hospital to receive diagnostic testing. A healthcare professional can determine whether they suffered a TBI and what the severity of the injury is. From there, they can determine what medical treatment can best heal their injury to prevent long-term health consequences.
Someone who suffered a mild TBI, like a concussion, may not require significant medical treatment, as rest and relaxation can help their brain heal on its own. However, they may also require medication to treat TBI symptoms and lower the risk of health complications associated with TBIs.
The following are some medications that can help treat TBIs:
- Diuretics
- Anti-anxiety medication
- Antidepressants
- Anticoagulants
- Stimulants
- Anticonvulsants
- Muscle relaxants
Treating the Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury With Therapy
A TBI can dramatically affect the way a person lives their life because of the negative effects on their memory, senses, and physical functioning. One of the ways a person can heal the damage caused by a TBI is through therapy that can help them repair bodily functions, reacquaint themselves with skills lost due to their injury, and adjust to their new way of life.
Many therapies can help with a TBI victim’s physical condition, mental health, and cognitive difficulties. Those who suffered TBIs can help themselves recover with physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive therapy. They can also go through psychological and vocational counseling to help cope with their injury and establish a path for returning to the workplace.
TBIs That Cause Heavy Brain Bleed May Require a Craniotomy
If a TBI is severe enough that it cannot heal on its own, a healthcare professional may advise surgery to heal the severe injury. One common surgery used to treat the symptoms of TBIs is a craniotomy. This requires the surgeon to remove a bone flap from the skull temporarily to access the brain.
A TBI victim could require an open craniotomy if they suffer a hematoma that results in a heavy brain bleed. This surgery allows the doctor to drain the hematoma and relieve intracranial pressure.
A surgery similar to a craniotomy is a decompressive craniectomy, as it also requires the surgeon to remove a bone flap from the skull temporarily. This surgery is required when medication cannot reduce intracranial pressure, allowing the swollen brain to expand without causing more damage. It can also remove skull fractures to prevent loose skull fragments from penetrating the brain.
What is Endovascular Surgery?
Victims of TBIs can suffer blood clots that can affect blood flow to the brain, leading to life-threatening consequences. One surgery used to repair damaged blood vessels and improve blood flow is endovascular surgery.
This surgery requires the surgeon to make an incision in the groin. From there, they will insert a catheter into the incision and feed it into the damaged blood vessel in the brain. This allows them to remove blood clots or heal aneurysms without cutting into the skull.
Cranioplasty Surgery Can Repair Damage to the Skull
TBIs can damage the skull, leading to fractures and causing fragments to impact the brain. To repair the damage to the skull caused by blunt-force trauma, victims of TBIs can undergo cranioplasty.
This involves repairing the skull vault by inserting plastic or metal plates into the skull or reinserting the victim’s own bone back into the skull. This surgery can help a TBI victim from suffering recurrent brain damage and seizures.
Contact Cellino Law for Help With Your Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
Victims of New York personal injury accidents that suffer TBIs require attorneys to help them recover compensation for damages. The New York personal injury lawyers at Cellino Law have experience helping TBI victims in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Garden City, etc.
They can help you assess the damages caused by your head injury and determine who the at-fault party is whom you could pursue compensation from. Contact Cellino Law today for a free consultation by calling us at (888) 888-8888 or leaving a message on our online contact page.
Content checked by the personal injury attorney Ross Cellino
Ross Cellino
As a family man and a trial attorney, I pride myself on winning cases and serving the community. With over 35 years of experience, I understand the function of a jury, how juries arrive at conclusions, and the role that the jury plays in administering justice. I know how to win cases. You can find us in Manhattan, Buffalo, Melville, Rochester, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and other locations throughout New York.
