What Happens Immediately After the Injury Occurs?
When a person is placed in a hospital following a head injury, they will need to be stabilized and monitored 24/7. This will help you ensure your essential functions, such as breathing and swallowing, are taken care of.
If the injury is specific, you may even require brain surgery. This will be quickly initiated because time is crucial in any brain injury. It is also too important to recognize that not only do severe brain injuries require surgery; instead, the requirement for surgeries varies.
Most patients with brain injuries will stay in an intensive care unit until they are stable enough to survive on their own with no problems.
Predictors for Brain Injury Prognoses
When seeking medical attention, the medical professional will refer to these indicators for a prognosis of your injury. Every injury and patient differs. Some of these indicators include:
- Age: Generally, a recovery prognosis will decline with increasing age.
- Glasgow Coma Scale: This allows medical professionals to assess coma and consciousness for brain injuries.
- Location of Injury: The location of the brain injury will determine what functions may be impaired. Every part of the brain serves a different function.
- Time Spent in Coma: Your time spent in a coma can affect your consciousness or amnesia. This may affect the overall recovery time.
Recovery Period for Brain Injuries
The brain’s automatic reaction is to repair itself and heal itself. However, this depends on how severe your brain injury is. The brain will attempt to heal itself by mending the bruises and reducing any swelling that may have occurred. Any damaged brain cells will begin to function again within a few weeks.
Physical rehabilitation is very common following brain injuries. Physical therapy helps your brain retain any neurons that may have been damaged or lost in the injury and will help with physical skills.
Prognosis is never a straightforward determiner and is dependent on the patient. Even though TBIs are a leading cause of death or permanent disability, it is not guaranteed that a person who suffers from TBIs will experience either of these.
