The Truth about TBI, It’s Diagnosis and Prognosis
Over the past couple decades, a great deal of information regarding traumatic brain injury and its effects has been made available to the American public. Much of it has been extremely helpful, but some of it is misleading at best, or simply untrue. Let’s look at some of the most prevalent falsehoods about traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
Myth #1—You’ll make as much recovery as you’re ever going to make within two years of your injury
With cases of mild TBI, it’s fairly common for individuals to fully recover within a couple of months. Even with more severe traumatic brain injury, there’s a fair amount of consistency in the recovery that takes place during the first 9-12 months. After that, though, there are no hard and fast lines that can be drawn around the potential for recovery. If you are actively working at getting better, it’s possible to see significant improvement years after the fact.
Myth #2—A concussion is simply a traumatic brain injury that isn’t that serious
Though the word “concussion” is often used to describe a mild TBI, a concussion still has the potential to be serious, particularly if you’ve had one before. It’s still a brain injury and should be treated seriously.
Myth #3—While brain injuries won’t appear on a regular x-ray, they are detectable on an MRI or CT scan
Magnetic resonance image (MRI) and computer tomography (CT) scans can detect broken bones and collections of blood, but will not pick up many types of traumatic brain injury. Don’t be fooled by a clear MRI or CT scan. Your doctor will use a variety of methods to assess the extent of your TBI.
Myth #4—After a concussion, it’s dangerous for a person to sleep for extended periods of time
There’s a widespread misperception that you should wake a person up every hour for 24 hours after a concussion. There’s no truth to this assertion. In fact, if a person has received medical attention and has been found to have no brain bleeds or acute trauma, rest is one of the best medicines.
Contact Us to Set Up an Appointment
At Advantage Healthcare Systems, we can help you maximize your recovery from a concussion or other traumatic brain injury. We offer locations across Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio. Let us help make certain you get the care you need after a work-related injury.