Brain Injury FAQ

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury. Some concussions are mild, and the symptoms resolve in a few days with no permanent injury. Sometimes symptoms do not resolve and eventually become chronic or permanent. This is referred to as a permanent mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Each person’s brain is different. The same amount of force (or trauma) can produce different types of brain trauma to different persons.

There is no simple answer to this question. However, the Brain Injury Association of American defines mild traumatic brain injury as an injury to the head as a result of trauma (forceful impact) with one or more of the following:

• confusion, disorientation, impaired consciousness;
• memory dysfunction;
• seizures;
• vomiting, headache, dizziness, irritability, fatigue, change in personally, poor concentration

The term “mild” can be misleading, because it’s relative–think “mild” as opposed to “severe,” which would include coma.

There are several explanations, if in fact you have a mild TBI. If you had other injuries, such as broken bones, and were hospitalized, your medication might have masked the symptoms of TBI. Or you physicians may have been focusing on your more serious injuries to the exclusion of your relatively lesser TBI symptoms.

Our experience is that physicians certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) are frequently the most attuned to mild TBI and able to make a TBI diagnosis where appropriate. They also have the expertise to treat TBI survivors. If a physician suspects mild TBI, that physician may refer you to a neuropsychologist for testing. Neuropsychologists are trained to administer tests to diagnose mild TBI.

We suggest that you seek help of The Brain Injury Association of Ohio (BIAOH). Visit them at: http://www.biaoh.org. They offer support groups and links to main valuable services.

We have represented many TBI survivors and their families. We understand what they are going through. We can make sure that you best team of medical professionals to diagnose and treat your condition. We can connect you with supportive resources. And we have extensive experience litigating TBI cases and obtaining favorable settlement and verdicts.