Cars crash every day on New York highways. Those who have experienced a motor vehicle accident can attest to the pain and trauma that often follow even minor road incidents. Although drivers may walk away from an accident scene seemingly unscathed, symptoms of injury can appear several days or weeks after the incident.
Minor effects may include scrapes and bruises while catastrophic injuries may involve spine and brain trauma. In fact, the U.S. Center for Disease Control says motor vehicle accidents are the third leading cause of traumatic brain injury in the country. In those statistics, the CDC includes TBIs serious enough to cause fatalities as well as those that require hospitalizations or, at the very least, a visit to the emergency room.
Recovering from catastrophic injuries
The Mayo Clinic offers insight for individuals who suffer from catastrophic brain injury. For these severe cases, rehabilitation is often a routine part of recovery. The Clinic indicates the goal for those who suffer in this way is “to improve their abilities to perform daily activities.” Often, it is a long, hard road, one that demands patients relearn many skills they acquired early in life.
Coordinating care during recovery from TBI
To assist in the reacquisition of basic skills, the Mayo Clinic outlines a list of specialists that treatment may include. For the physical aspects of recovery, the team may call on a TBI nurse specialist to “help coordinate care” as well as a physical therapist who can assist “with mobility and relearning movement patterns, balance and walking.” The patient may need the help of a neuropsychologist for regaining cognitive function or learning how to cope with reduced abilities.