Arkansas Personal Injury Blog - Head & Brain Injuries

Richardson Tragedy Reminds Us About Brain Injuries

Ryan Scott — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:27:34 GMT

The tragic death of actor Natasha Richardson from an epidural hematoma reminds many of us of the seriousness of a closed head injury. What's more, the circumstances of the last hours of her life show us the need to be vigilant in our quest to understand (and educate others) on the warning signs of a closed head injury.

According to reports, Natasha Richardson took a "normal" fall while learning to ski. She was up and talking not long after "trained" personnel decided she was fine. However, as we all know, she suffered a closed head injury passed away within days. What is most compelling about the type of injury Ms. Richardson suffered, and 1.5 million Americans suffer every year, is the roller-coaster of symptoms and degree of harm that makes it difficult to distinguish between a bump on the head and life-threatening injury.

With this in mind, it is never too often that we review the symptoms of a closed head injury:

Changes in, or unequal size of pupils
Convulsions
Distorted features of the face
Fluid draining from nose, mouth, or ears (may be clear or bloody)
Fracture in the skull or face, bruising of the face, swelling at the site of the injury, or scalp wound
Impaired hearing, smell, taste, or vision
Inability to move one or more limbs
Irritability (especially in children), personality changes, or unusual behavior
Loss of consciousness, confusion, or drowsiness
Low breathing rate or drop in blood pressure
Restlessness, clumsiness, or lack of coordination
Severe headache
Slurred speech or blurred vision
Stiff neck or vomiting
Symptoms improve, and then suddenly get worse (change in consciousness)

As a general rule, doctors say that any head injury should be treated within an hour of the time it occurs. This is referred to as the "golden hour". It is undisputed that the sooner a brain injury is recognized and treated, the better the odds of recovery. In some cases, hospitalization and drugs can resolve a brain injury problem, if the symptoms are recognized and prompt action is taken.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ryan Scott

Traumatic Brain Injury Caused By Car Accidents

Frank Bailey — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:20:00 GMT

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), or simply head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, such as in a rear end collision, or more often in a head on collision.Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain.

Often people who are injured in automobile accidents do not realize they have suffered a head injury. If recognized early, there is much that can be done to lessen the symptoms and return the person to pre-injury state. The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Strokehas an excellent web page designated to this type of injury. The NINDS is a part of the National Institute of Health.

Over the years we have dealt with many people who had head injury, but went undiagnosed. A neuropsychologistcan administer test that accurately diagnose this type of injury. It is important for people who have been in an accident to get treatment if they have suffered a head injury and not to let it go untreated.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Basic Head Injury Information

Frank Bailey — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:42:06 GMT

In my experience brain injuries are the most undiagnosed injuries Americans suffer. Car wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, and bicycle wrecks account for at least half of all TBIs and the largest portion of TBI in people under age 75. For those people aged 75 and older falls cause the majority of TBIs.

Why are brain injuries so undiagnosed in emergency rooms? Emergency rooms are concerned with saving lives and treating obvious injuries. Brain injuries are not always apparent when a person has just been in a wreck. Physicians are focused on broken bones, and more obvious injuries. Unless emergency room physicians are looking for brain injury, the brain injury may slip through the cracks.

People should have a basic understanding of the most common symptoms. If there is a change in the way you think, I call it fuzzy thinking, or if you have trouble finding words when you talk, these are common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. Other symptoms are dizziness, headaches, and changes in temperament.

Traumatic brain injury is a frequent cause of major long-term disability unless treated. Outcome for patients with head injury depends heavily on the cause. For example, in the US, patients with TBIs from falls have an 89% survival rate, while only 9% of patients with firearm-related TBIs survive.

Car manufacturers have helped reduce the number of brain injuries by making cars safer, but they still have a long way to go to become completely safe. Motorcycle helmets help, but if a rider lands on his head, the helmet may not prevent a brain injury even though it may have saved the rider’s life.

If you or a family member have been in a serious wreck, I suggest you be examined by a trained medical care provider to rule out brain injury, or to get treatment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Are Cell Phones Dangerous?

Drew Dixon — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:14:00 GMT

With more and more people talking on cell phones each day the question arises "What are the long term effects on the brain from cell phone use going to be?" Are brain tumors caused by cell phones just a myth or is there something to the doctors claims that using a cell phone increase one's risk of a Brain tumor.

Contradicting what was previously believed, Doctors now say that using a cell phone for more than an hour a day for a decade increased the risk of a tumor on the side of the head where the phone is held most. The study also noted that children who use cell phones are probably at the greatest risk. Their skulls are thinner and their brains are continuing to develop through the teenage years.

The study showed that people who used cell phones for more than 10 years were 20% more likely to get an acoustic neuroma and 30% more likely to get a glioma. Because cell phone usage has not been wide spread for more than 10 years, the full effect of their usage on the brain cannot be fully determined.

While recent advances in technology is believed to cause cell phones to emit less radiation than they previously have, Doctors suggest that patients use their cell phones less and when they have to make a call to use hand free devices as much as possible.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Drew Dixon

IME And The "Fake Bad Scale"

Frank Bailey — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:06:57 GMT

Have you been injured and forced to undergo an examination by the defendant’s doctor (IME)? More and more we hear about the “Fake Bad Scale” being used by doctors to discredit legitimately injured people.

The test consists of a series of 43 true/false questions about pain symptoms. Some of the questions are, “Much of the time my head seems to hurt all over.” Other questions are, “I feel tired a good deal of the time,” or “I am not feeling much pressure or stress these days.”

Each positive answer counts against you. If you are truly injured and have symptoms the test tends to indicate you are malingering. A score of 23 is considered “suspicious.” If you answer in the negative, that means you aren't injured, so with this test, you can't win.

There is a great deal of diverse opinions about the validity of the test in the scientific community. It makes sense to me, that if you have a true brain injury, the test will show that you are a malingerer because you will have the symptoms that count against you.

The test was made up by a defense expert and is opposed by the American Psychological Association. I will be watching decisions from other jurisdictions to see how courts handle this new defense tool.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Attorneys Fight "Fake Bad Scale"

Frank Bailey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:35:40 GMT

So the insurance company said you were faking your injuries. There’s a new test defense lawyers are trying to use to show people with legitimate injuries are faking. It’s called the “fake bad scale.” A few courts have ruled the test does not meet the standard required for evidence in court, but you can bet the defense lawyers won’t give up.

The test was created in 1991 by a defense orientated neuropsychologist, Dr. Paul Lees-Haley. The test has 43 true or false questions such as, “I have very few headaches.” If you answer 23 or more to indicate you have those symptoms, the test is supposed to show you are faking or over reporting your injuries.

If you are sent to a neuropsychologist for an exam you should always answer the questions truthfully. The problem comes in to play if the person taking the test has a brain injury or other serious injury and has problems with fatigue, depression, memory loss and other common symptoms. The test will show a high score.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys have begun to challenge the test in court. I suspect in most jurisdictions plaintiffs’ attorneys will be able to keep the test out of court. But that doesn’t help the people who are forced to take the test if their judge lets it in.

We need to band together and contact the University of Minnesota and demand this flawed test be removed from its MMPI-2 personality test.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey