43 percent of retired National Football League players are suffering from a traumatic brain injury, according to soon-to-be-released findings from the American Academy of Neurology.
Perhaps more significantly, about a third of these victims say they were never diagnosed with concussions during their playing careers, but they were hit hard numerous times. The players in the study, who had careers that lasted an average of five years each, reported an average of eight concussions during their playing days. Researchers used advanced MRI scans to examine white matter in the brain, enabling them to render a diagnosis that could previously only be done by a brain autopsy.
While longer careers did put players in a higher risk category, doctors said there was no direct link between career length and traumatic brain injury.
TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury
Although these injuries kill an estimated 52,000 Americans every year, doctors are still trying to understand the nature of TBIs and their symptoms. In the short term, victims experience dizziness, nausea, headaches, and other relatively mild symptoms. Many times, these maladies are dismissed as shock from the accident. Later, victims suffer from loss of sleep, mood swings, and personality changes. All these conditions make it difficult or impossible to function at work, home, or school. Eventually, brain injury victims develop dementia-type symptoms.
Strictly speaking, brain injuries are irreversible. Broken bones mend given time and treatment, but dead brain cells cannot be revived. However, after extensive physical therapy, most TBI victims can recover some or all of their lost functions, because uninjured parts of the brain will learn to assume control over these items.
Older adults and younger children are the most at-risk age groups for TBIs, which are commonly caused by:
- Blows to the Head: Many of these incidents occur during a slip-and-fall or other unintentional event.
- Motor Vehicle Crashes: Seat belts and airbags were not really designed to prevent head trauma injuries.
- Explosive Blasts: Scientists think that sudden loud noises trigger sound waves that disrupt brain activity.
Damages in a brain injury case normally include compensation for both economic losses, like necessary adjustments to a house or apartment, and noneconomic losses, like pain and suffering.
TBIs are among the most serious personal injuries. For a free consultation with aggressive personal injury lawyers in Manhattan, contact our office. Mr. Proner is AV-Rated.
