A brain injury can cause lifelong consequences, such as problems with memory and concentration and even personality changes. More serious brain injuries may impose permanent brain damage and trigger a cognitive decline, leaving some victims unable to care for themselves independently.
The primary cause of a traumatic brain injury is blunt force trauma. Unfortunately, even if you received a blow to the head, you may not even realize you are suffering from such an injury until you start developing serious symptoms.
Blunt Force Head Trauma Symptoms
Symptoms of a blunt force head trauma injury are numerous, and not everyone will experience the same ones or to the same degree. Whether you sustained head trauma as the result of a fall, a sports accident, or even a car wreck, you may dismiss some of the early symptoms of head trauma as simply being “shaken up.”
However, you should seek immediate medical attention if you start experiencing one or more of these symptoms after your initial injury:
- Headaches
- Blurry vision, ringing in the ears, or slurred speech
- Trouble with concentration and memory
- Loss of consciousness
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Changes in appetite or sleeping patterns
- Nausea and vomiting
- Numbness or weakness in your extremities
If you experience convulsions or seizures, it’s vital that you seek immediate, emergency medical attention, as they could indicate a serious problem. Save all of your medical records, as well, as a brain injury lawyer will need them if you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party that caused the accident.
Diagnosing a Head Injury After Blunt Force Head Trauma
Diagnosing brain injuries after blunt force trauma can be a complex process. Your doctor will run a variety of tests, including CAT scans and physical assessments, to determine the extent of your brain injury. An imaging test will determine whether there is bleeding in the brain, which could indicate a more serious injury, but it may not indicate the extent of any cognitive damage.
If scans indicate swelling in the brain, then your physician will insert a probe into the skull to determine the extent of the swelling. They may attempt to reduce the pressure on your brain by placing stents within the skull.
Another common method of evaluating head trauma is through the use of the Glasgow Coma Scale, an evaluation that rates a patient’s abilities in several key areas. The lower the total score, the worse the patient’s head injury is.
Treatment for Blunt Force Head Trauma
The treatment of brain injuries that result from blunt force trauma will differ according to how severe the patient’s injury is and which part(s) of the brain was/were damaged. People with mild to moderate injuries may fully recover with rest and reduced stress, though more severe injuries may require intensive medical attention.
As noted above, stents are sometimes placed inside the skull to reduce swelling, but in other cases, surgery may be required to heal the damage most effectively. Prescription medications to treat both physical and cognitive damage are common as well.
Not every head trauma victim will need all of these medications, of course, but common treatments may include any of the following:
- Muscle relaxers
- Stimulants
- Anticoagulants
- Anticonvulsants
- Antidepressants
- Anti-anxiety medications
Physical, occupational, and speech therapies are also common for brain injury patients, given that some may need assistance in remembering how to speak or understand words. Others may need help relearning how to complete daily activities, like getting dressed, eating, and tending to their personal care and grooming.
Preventing Blunt Force Trauma Accidents
Any accident in which you hit your head, be it a car collision or a slip and fall, can cause a traumatic brain injury. If another party directly caused your accident and subsequent brain injury, you could have a case to file a personal injury suit to recover damages. A personal injury lawyer can advise you of your legal options.
Contact Our Brain Injury Law Firm in Austin, TX
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Austin and need legal help, contact our Austin brain injury lawyers at FVF Law to schedule a free consultation with our team.
FVF Law
3101 Bee Caves Rd #301, Austin, TX 78746, United States
(512) 982-9328
