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What causes most service members’ traumatic brain injuries?

On Behalf of | May 22, 2020 | SSD - Veterans' Issues |

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are injuries that individuals suffer after having been subjected to some type of outward force. An individual may be diagnosed with a TBI after becoming involved in a car crash, being involved in a contact-sports incident or an assault. These types of events don’t speak very much as to how service members often end up with TBIs, though.

Armed forces service members are most apt to end up with a TBI during combat or after an explosion goes off near them.

Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) research shows that there were at least 375,000 service members that were diagnosed with TBIs between 2000 and 2017. Those same statistics reveal how at least 82.4% of service members that were diagnosed with TBIs suffered only mild cases. Another 9.1% of them are ultimately told they have moderate ones. A relatively small 1% of them were diagnosed with severe TBIs during that period.

The severity of the symptoms that a veteran that’s been diagnosed with a TBI may experience vary.

Individuals who suffer mild TBIs such as concussions may experience initial dizziness, nausea, blurred vision and ringing in their ears. These symptoms will generally subside once an individual gets a few days of rest.

Patients with moderate to severe TBIs may suffer more profound and lasting injuries. It’s not uncommon for individuals such as these to experience more long-term behavioral or cognitive problems. A person may fall into a deep coma and be left permanently in a vegetative state if their injury is severe enough as well.

Doctors tend to perform a battery of tests and imaging studies in addition to taking bloodwork before confirming a patient’s TBI diagnosis. Some individuals may undergo surgical procedures to alleviate pressure on their brains in hopes that it will improve their condition. Others simply participate in occupational or physical therapy activities aimed at helping them regain some cognitive functions and motor skills.

The path that a Minnesota patient must follow to improve from a TBI is often long and winding. Triumphs may be followed by pitfalls as an individual learns to manage their life with their newfound limitations. An attorney can review the details surrounding how your injury occurred and how it affects your everyday life and advise you whether you may qualify for benefits here in Minneapolis

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