A traumatic brain injury, as its name indicates, occurs when a sudden trauma disrupts the brain’s functioning. The trauma comes in the form of a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury. It is worth noting, however, that not everyone who experiences a head injury will experience a brain injury.
Damage suffered from this injury can be short-term or long-term, and symptoms vary in severity from feeling “dazed” to permanent disability. In fact, traumatic brain injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
Traumatic brain injuries can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects. Common symptoms include:
Recovery from traumatic brain injuries depend on several factors, such as the severity of the injury and the age of the patient at the time of injury. For instance, most individuals who sustain a concussion (a mild form of brain injury) will experience an uncomplicated, quick, and complete recovery, while individuals who sustain a moderate or severe traumatic injury may be left with persistent and permanent symptoms (cognitive and emotional). Neuropsychological evaluations contribute to the management of traumatic brain injuries by objectively measuring a patient’s cognitive and emotional functioning to determine a degree of recovery and by identifying other factors that may be slowing down recovery.
Dr. Anthony De Marco of IGEA Brain, Spine & Orthopedics empathizes with these feelings of uncertainty and strives to provide his patients with a level of care that puts them at ease.
In doing so, he implements a consultative, customized, empirically-based approach to assessment based on the needs of the individual and their family. Anything less than that isn’t—and never should be—optional. Learn more about the details of Dr. De Marco’s assessment process:
Quality care for individuals recovering from a traumatic brain injury should never be optional, and at IGEA Brain, Spine & Orthopedics, it never is.