Traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when a sudden injury causes damage to your brain. A “closed head injury” may cause brain damage if something hits your head hard but doesn’t break through your skull. A “penetrating head injury” happens when an object breaks through your skull and enters your brain.
The CDC has found that the leading cause of TBI is falls, particularly for young children and seniors. Other common causes of TBI include accidental blunt force trauma, motor vehicle accidents, and violent assaults.
If you sustain a TBI, rehabilitation (“rehab”) will be a critical component of your recovery. This can take many forms depending on your needs and might include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as psychiatric care and social support. All these types of care are aimed at helping you recover from the effects of your injury to the greatest degree possible.
How Can Rehabilitation after a TBI Help Me?
While rehab after a TBI likely won’t cause problems, there’s a chance that treatment like physical or occupational therapy might cause new injuries or make existing symptoms or injuries worse if not done correctly. So, it’s important to work closely with your rehab team. They’ll help prevent problems.
Rehabilitation may help in the following ways:
- Lessen pain from injuries;
- Improve your ability to function at home;
- Help treat the mental and physical problems caused by TBI;
- Provide social and emotional support; and
- Help you adapt to changes as they happen in your recovery.
Rehab can also help prevent complications of TBI, including:
- Pain;
- Bowel and bladder problems;
- Blood clots;
- Pressure ulcers (“bedsores”):
- Breathing issues;
- Pneumonia;
- A drop in blood pressure when you move around
- Muscle weakness;
- Muscle spasms; and
- Reproductive and sexual function problems.
Rehab can take place in several different settings, and these include inpatient rehab hospital, outpatient rehab hospital, home-based rehab, a comprehensive day program, and an independent living center.
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center in Grand Rapids
Buchanan Law wants to make sure you are aware of the fantastic resource in our own backyard: Mary Free Bed is the nation’s most comprehensive rehabilitation provider and, arguably the largest not-for-profit, independent rehabilitation hospital system. The main campus in Grand Rapids includes a 187-bed freestanding rehabilitation hospital and on-site outpatient programs and services. There are also several other locations throughout the region, including Saginaw, Lansing, and Kalamazoo.
This great rehabilitation center says its hallmark is a unique combination of extraordinary care and an incredible culture.
Mary Free Bed offers services to support every stage of recovery after an injury, illness, surgery, or debilitating condition. The center is available for everything from a short course of treatment or a lifetime of care, and they will help determine which level of care is most appropriate for your needs.
The campus is designed exclusively for rehabilitation, and it’s as “un-hospital-like” as possible. They have bright, cheerful colors that create an uplifting healing environment, with a variety of quiet and lively spaces to relax.
Every individual’s needs and abilities are different after a TBI. But know that you’ll have a rehab program tailored especially for you.
Call Buchanan Firm Today
There are more than 5.3 million people in the United States who are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.
You need an experienced Michigan medical malpractice attorney to have the best chance of a successful outcome in your medical malpractice case.
Our firm proudly serves people all across Michigan, including major cities like Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Detroit, Lansing, Holland, St. Joe, and Ann Arbor, and rural towns such as Lowell, Ada, Fremont, Newaygo, Grand Haven, Rockford, and Cedar Springs. We will meet you after hours, at home, or in the hospital to accommodate you.
