People who are involved in car accidents can suffer all sorts of injuries – from scratches to head injuries to traumatic brain injury. Thankfully, most motor vehicle accidents are minor, and the people involved walk away with a few bumps and bruises.
Some of our clients joke that the biggest bruise they suffered was to their ego. The problem is that a lot of accident victims refuse medical treatment at the scene. They insist they haven’t suffered any auto accident injuries at all. However, some individuals may develop post-concussion syndrome, which can cause persistent symptoms long after the initial injury.
They may be willing to see a car accident doctor in Atlanta a few days later. But they refuse to get into the ambulance to be taken to the emergency room for immediate treatment.
Sometimes, accident victims are afraid that they’ll have to pay the thousands of dollars it costs to go to the emergency room via ambulance. Or they’re worried that insurance won’t cover their emergency room visit.
That’s why it’s important that you be treated by a car accident doctor in Atlanta who can communicate with your car accident lawyer. This can help ensure that somebody covers your medical care.
While that may be your primary health insurance company at first, if the other driver was at fault, their insurance carrier will ultimately have to bear the expense of your medical care.
Of all the auto accident injuries you cannot ignore, a traumatic brain injury may be the most serious. Traumatic brain injuries can lead to damage or displacement of brain tissue. It can take hours or even days before you realize that you’ve suffered this kind of injury.
Even your car accident doctor in Atlanta may not immediately recognize the signs and symptoms of your traumatic brain injury (TBI).
This is why it’s so important that you see one of the doctors in our office so they can run the necessary diagnostics and confirm whether you have in fact suffered a TBI.
What Exactly is a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury, or a TBI for short, is an injury that is caused by blunt force trauma to your skull. A mild traumatic brain injury, often referred to as a concussion, can also result from similar blunt force trauma. A penetrating brain injury, which occurs when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain, can also result from severe accidents.
One obvious way this could happen is if somebody smashed you in the head with a baseball bat. It can also happen if you’re in a motorcycle accident and you’re thrown or ejected from the bike and land on your head.
However, a TBI can also be considered a part of the auto accident injuries we treat from time to time.
If you’re sitting in the car, as the driver or the passenger, and suffer a head-on collision, there’s a good chance you could suffer a traumatic brain injury. In more severe cases, moderate to severe TBI can result in significant cognitive and physical impairments, including diffuse axonal injury and axonal injury, which involve extensive damage to the brain’s white matter and disrupt communication among nerve cells.
The same is true if you’re involved in a rear-end collision and the impact is tremendous. Your head could hit the steering wheel, the dashboard, or even go through the windshield causing blunt force trauma to your head. This can lead to skull fractures, which are associated with injuries such as hematoma and cranial nerve damage, and can cause damage to membranes, blood vessels, and the brain under the fracture.
It’s important, even as the auto accident victim, to know the signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. If you notice any of these symptoms in the hours and days after your car crash, you need to immediately make an appointment with one of our car accident doctors in Atlanta.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms?
The initial symptoms of a mild TBI are very similar to those of a concussion and can include nausea, dizziness, and extreme headaches. Diagnosis of mild TBI often involves assessing these symptoms and their impact on brain function. You may feel nauseous or dizzy right away. Or you may not feel these symptoms until the next morning. Many clients who have a TBI suffer from extreme headaches that are so bad that it keeps them from going to sleep.
Traumatic brain injuries also can cause both short-term and long-term memory loss. You may feel ringing in your ears and have a hard time with your fine motor skills. These symptoms can significantly impact brain function, affecting memory, attention, and information processing. Cognitive impairment is a common consequence of traumatic brain injuries, affecting the ability to think, learn, and remember.
Many people with a traumatic brain injury have blurry vision and are unable to concentrate on one thing for any given period of time. If you notice any of these things going on with yourself or a loved one who’s been involved in a recent motor vehicle accident, contact one of our car accident doctors in Atlanta immediately.
Don’t wait until the next day. Don’t wait till after the weekend’s over. Because if these injuries are left untreated, things can go downhill very quickly.
Physical Symptoms of TBI
Physical symptoms are often the most immediately noticeable signs of a traumatic brain injury. These can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness, which are common in the hours or days following the injury. In more severe cases, individuals may experience loss of consciousness, seizures, or difficulty waking up from sleep. Other physical symptoms can include fatigue, balance problems, and sensory issues such as blurred vision, ringing in the ears, or changes in the sense of smell or taste. Monitoring these symptoms and seeking medical attention promptly is critical for managing a TBI.
Cognitive Symptoms of TBI
Cognitive symptoms can significantly impact an individual’s ability to think, concentrate, and remember information. After a TBI, a person may experience confusion, memory loss, and difficulty focusing on tasks. They might find it challenging to process information or make decisions. Executive function, which includes skills such as planning, organizing, and problem-solving, can also be impaired after a TBI. In severe cases, there may be noticeable changes in speech and language abilities. These cognitive impairments can affect daily activities, work, and personal relationships, making it essential to recognize and address these symptoms early on through appropriate medical and therapeutic interventions.
Emotional and Behavioral Changes
Traumatic brain injuries can also lead to emotional and behavioral changes. Individuals may experience mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Changes in personality and behavior, such as increased aggression or impulsiveness, can also occur. These emotional and behavioral symptoms can be particularly distressing for both the affected individual and their loved ones. Recognizing these changes as potential signs of a TBI is important for seeking appropriate mental health support and counseling, which can aid in managing these symptoms effectively.
Emotional regulation, or the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences, can be significantly affected by a TBI.
What Happens if a TBI Goes Untreated by a Car Accident Doctor in Atlanta?
As stated above, if your traumatic brain injury goes untreated for a long period of time, it can cause irreversible damage. Untreated moderate or severe TBI can lead to secondary brain injury, which involves further cellular damage over time and can result in long-term physical, social, and emotional issues.
Not only will you continue to suffer from headaches and vertigo, but you’ll also suffer from memory issues going forward. If the impact was hard enough, you may also have suffered bleeding on the brain, which can damage brain cells and lead to severe complications.
This is something that cannot go left untreated because it can absolutely prove to be fatal. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease of the brain, can develop from repeated TBIs and lead to severe cognitive and emotional issues. If you suffered any of these auto accident injuries, then you need to call one of our car accident doctors right away.
How Is a TBI Diagnosed and Treated
Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Diagnosing a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) involves a comprehensive evaluation by healthcare professionals, often starting with a thorough medical history and physical examination. Here’s an overview of the diagnostic process:
- Initial Assessment: The first step typically includes assessing the patient’s symptoms and the circumstances of the injury. Emergency medical responders or doctors may use the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to measure a person’s level of consciousness. This scale assesses eye, verbal, and motor responses, helping to classify the TBI as mild, moderate, or severe.
- Imaging Tests: If a TBI is suspected, imaging tests such as a CT (computed tomography) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), or other neuroimaging techniques are often used to get detailed pictures of the brain. These scans can reveal fractures, bleeding, swelling, and other structural abnormalities caused by the injury.
- Neurological Examination: A neurological examination assesses various aspects of brain function, including reflexes, motor function, sensory response, and coordination. This helps determine the extent of brain damage and the specific areas affected.
- Cognitive and Psychological Assessment: For milder TBIs, especially concussions, cognitive and psychological tests might be conducted to evaluate memory, attention, problem-solving skills, and emotional health. These assessments help identify subtler effects of the injury that imaging tests may not reveal.
Treating Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Treatment for TBI depends on the severity of the injury and the specific symptoms experienced by the patient. Here’s an overview of common treatment approaches:
- Emergency Care: Severe TBIs often require immediate medical intervention to stabilize the patient. This may involve ensuring proper oxygen supply, maintaining blood flow, and controlling blood pressure. Surgery might be necessary to address bleeding in the brain, remove clots, or repair skull fractures.
- Medications: Various medications can be used to manage symptoms and prevent complications. Pain relievers help alleviate headaches, while anti-seizure drugs may be prescribed to prevent seizures. In some cases, diuretics are used to reduce pressure inside the brain, and coma-inducing drugs might be administered to reduce the brain’s need for oxygen and nutrients during critical periods.
- Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation is a crucial part of TBI treatment, especially for moderate to severe injuries. Rehabilitation programs are tailored to the individual’s needs and may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, cognitive therapy, and neurorehabilitation. These therapies aim to improve physical function, enhance cognitive abilities, and assist with daily living activities.
- Psychological Support: Emotional and psychological support is essential for TBI patients. Counseling or psychotherapy can help individuals cope with changes in mood, behavior, and cognitive function. Support groups and community resources may also provide valuable assistance.
- Ongoing Monitoring and Adjustments: Recovery from TBI can be a long-term process requiring ongoing monitoring and adjustments to treatment plans. Regular follow-up appointments with healthcare providers ensure that progress is tracked and any emerging issues are promptly addressed.
You Should Get Immediate Treatment for All Auto Accident Injuries
For some reason, people who have been involved in motor vehicle accidents tend to refuse to get medical treatment at the accident scene. When the police officers ask them if they’re okay, they insist that they’re fine.
Just because they don’t feel like they’ve suffered an injury, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t injured. It just means that, at that given moment, they don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with them. The problem is that with most auto accident injuries, you may not feel the pain until hours or even days later.
That’s why the practitioners at our treatment center in Atlanta suggest that you see a doctor immediately after your car crash.
Early intervention can significantly improve outcomes for individuals with traumatic brain injuries.
One of the most serious auto accident injuries, as discussed above, is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a disruption in the normal function of the brain caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. If this kind of injury goes left untreated, it can cause long-term issues and can even prove to be fatal. It’s one thing to leave a broken bone untreated.
Eventually, that bone will likely have to be reset and even re-broken to properly heal. Even a lot of accident victims with disc issues let them go untreated for months or even years. It’s hard for us to understand this because our car accident doctors in Atlanta know what kind of relief they can provide their clients.
However, it is the accident victim’s right to choose whether to accept or decline treatment. We just hope that you at least contact an Atlanta treatment center to get an additional assessment done. That way, you at least know for sure whether there’s anything physically wrong with you.