 | Bonnie Stephens, RN, is a clinical liaison for Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of HealthSouth and provider of inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech-language therapies and exclusive home of the AutoAmbulator robotic treadmill used in gait training. Bonnie is co-director of the Traumatic Brain Injury support group that meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital. She can be reached at 729-1099, 8338 W. 13th Street in Wichita. |
Health & Medicine
2007-05-01 11:11:00
Brain rehabilitation does help
Question: What can you tell me about brain trauma rehabilitation?
Answer: Because the brain regulates everything we do, from walking and talking to eating and thinking, damage to this vital organ can be a potentially devastating experience. That’s why early rehabilitation is crucial to helping patients with brain injury return to the best quality of life they can achieve.
More than five million people are living with a disability as the result of a brain injury in this country. Adolescents, seniors and people who participate in high risk activities are especially at risk.
Traumatic brain injuries are typically classified as either closed or open, with closed exhibiting little or no physical evidence and open being those that penetrate the skull. The majority of brain injuries are closed, often occurring from a disease, illness, seemingly non-injurious fall, or contact with objects (windshields, falling debris) with no immediate apparent damage. These injuries, the most underdiagnosed condition in adults and children, can go undiagnosed for long periods of time because symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, or nausea may be confused as something else. An accurate diagnosis is important in a closed injury because when there is a blow to the head bruising and swelling can occur inside the rigid skull, causing more damage to cells than the original impact.
With an open brain injury, which often occurs as a result of a car accident, fall, or act of violence and which presents apparent damage such as deep cuts, bleeding, or an object penetrating from the skull, time is of the essence in treatment. Regardless of the type of brain injury, symptoms can be broken down into three basic areas: physical, cognitive and behavioral. Physical indications can include seizures or tremors, loss of motor control and coordination, spasticity (tightening of the muscles), speaking and swallowing disorders, and bladder and bowel incontinence. Cognitive symptoms can encompass difficulty with concentration, an inability to plan or complete activities, problems with judgment and perception, a diminished memory or learning capacity, a slowed rate of information processing or problems with language and communication such as difficulty naming objects or slurred speech. Behavioral problems with a brain injury often appear as: a lack of appropriate social behavior, long-term irritability, varying degrees of depression, or an amplification of pre-existing negative actions such as verbal or physical outbursts or impulsive actions.
Despite the negative impact of damage to the brain, the good news is that, with rehabilitation, it is possible for a patient to regain most, if not all of their physical functions over time. The right therapies can help a patient re-learn former functions or learn to compensate for permanent changes that have occurred as a result of the injury.
There are several components that make a good rehabilitation program. Primary of these is that therapies and treatment should be tailored to the patient’s specific needs. Family involvement and community re-entry planning are also two important parts of the best rehabilitation programs.
Other crucial elements of rehabilitation for brain injury include physical therapies that promote strength, endurance, and mobility; occupational therapies that address activities of daily living such as dressing and personal hygiene; speech and language therapies to help with communication or swallowing issues; cognitive activities to help in the recovery of, or compensation for, attention, memory, and problem-solving concerns; psychological programs to deal with management of behavior issues. Finally, a good support group can work wonders with brain injured individuals and their caregivers. Connecting with others in similar circumstances can help alleviate some of the fears, anxieties and sense of loss that accompany brain injuries, sometimes for the rest of a person’s life.
