New Hope For Head Injuries

It’s been many years since my car accident, but the search for correct information is always at the forefront of my mind, as minimal information was known about head injuries at the time of my accident. I guess if my brain had been out of my scull, they would have known without a shadow of a doubt that my brain was injured, but that was not the case. There was no blood, no guts. My injuries were “invisible” -- broken bones, a collapsed lung, and a concussion. The broken bones and collapsed lung were treated, they could be seen with diagnostic tools, but concussions can’t be x-rayed or scanned, they are “felt” and only by the patient.

I was sent home after three weeks in the hospital, with authorization from the doctors, that I could go back to work. So I did, only to learn this was a very bad idea. In an article by Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press, new information is being presented about concussions. The recovery time is much longer for a concussion than normally realized. To read the article, follow this link, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-12-athlete-concussions_N.htm#uslPageReturn

Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz is one of the foremost authorities on sports related head injuries and is an athletic trainer who chairs the sports science department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Dr. Guskiewicz over breakfast.

Our conversation that day revolved around the effect my head injury had on my ability to function. Dr. Guskiewicz confirmed many of the thoughts and feelings I had learned and experienced about head injuries. The effects, for the most part are” unseen,” unless you know what to look for. These injuries can’t be seen like a broken arm or a gash in the skin, but they are equally harmful if left untreated.
Mine injury had gone untreated and I suffered for it.

New findings suggest there are anywhere from 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions each year. These numbers don’t even include head injuries from car accidents, roller-coaster rides, war injuries or childhood accidents. With this many people suffering head trauma, we need to be more aware of how we perceive and treat these injuries.

In the past, injuries that couldn’t be seen, were viewed as psychological responses to the event. Thank goodness, there are new approaches and attitudes to fixing these problems. Symptoms are now becoming important tools for diagnosing “invisible injuries,” such as head traumas.

The best treatment for head injuries to date is rest and moderate activity for a longer period of time than normally prescribed. The body is designed to repair itself, if given the opportunity and environment to do so.