Children who sustain a traumatic brain injury at a younger age have different results as they heal than those who are older. At Dobson we are able to provide services to children as they recover at home from a traumatic brain injury. Our specially trained staff for Certified Brain Injury Specialists can assist with all levels of care during the recovering process.
Check out this article from cnn.com for more information.
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Development in Young Children
Complementary medical treatments for TBI’s?
A recent study out of the University of Colorado, Boulder indicates that an ancient form of “complementary” medicine MAY be effective in helping treat people with a mild traumatic brain injury, “TBI”. The treatment known as acupressure, is where one’s fingertips are used to stimulate particular points on a person’s body. The results indicate a link between the acupressure treatments and enhanced cognitive function in the study subjects with mild TBI. The study subjects showed scoring on tests of working memory significantly better when compared to the TBI subjects in the placebo group. This hypothesis suggest that acupressure could be an effective adjunctive therapy for TBI sufferers.
The acupressure treatment type used in this study is called Jin Shin. The practitioners used 26 points on the human body from the head to the feet. These points are found along “meridians” in the body that are associated with specific energy pathways. It is believed that each point is tied to the health of specific organs in the body as well as the entire body and brain. The meridians are described as “freeways” and the pressure points as towns along the way. For example, when there is a traffic jam in Detroit that causes problems as far away as Flint, clearing the traffic jam or “energy blocks” helps to improve the flow, therefore overall health.
The team then used a standard series of neuro-psychological tests to assess the results. The subjects receiving active acupressure treatments, showed increased memory function. Those receiving treatments also responded to stimuli more rapidly than those receiving placebo treatments.
The hope is that the Jin Shin treatment may be useful to military veterans returning home with TBI’s. The treatment can be taught to family and friends of those with TBI and can even be used as a self treatment, which could allow for more independence.
A 2010 study on acupressure concluded that Jin Shin triggered a larger and faster relaxation response during active treatments and a decreased stress response following active treatments compared to placebo treatments. A new study is being embarked upon with Jin Shin with regard to athletes to see if the enhanced relaxation response and decreased stress can reduce the likelihood of athletic injury.
Source: Centre for Neuro Skills, Spring 2011
April 2011 TBI Tidbit provided by Dar Warner, LPN, CBIS. Dar can be contacted at darwarner@dobsonhealthcare.com
As stated in the November TBI tip, traumatic brain injuries can be mild, moderate or severe. Before you can understand the classification of a brain injury, it is important to understand the “rating” system called the Glasgow Coma Scale, otherwise referred to as GCS. This scale is a universally applied measure, indicating the severity of the brain injury. The “grade” is determined as early as at the scene of the injury, or in the Emergency Room . The GCS assigns a numerical value to patient reactions in three areas; eye opening, body movement, and speech. Each area is assigned a number and when added together, the Glasgow Coma Score for the patient is assigned. The ideal total score is 15. The severity of the injury is based on the score received. The Glasgow Coma Scale is as follows:
Eye Opening:
Opens eyes spontaneously: 4
Opens eyes to speech: 3
Opens eyes to pain: 2
Does not open eyes: 1
Body Movement:
Obeys simple commands: 6
Attempts to move from pain: 5
Withdraws from pain: 4
Moves muscles abnormally: 3
Moves muscles involuntarily: 2
Does not respond to pain: 1
Speech:
Speaks clearly and appropriately: 5
Converses with confusion: 4
Uses inappropriate words: 3
Makes incomprehensible sounds: 2
Makes no sounds: 1
After evaluation, the score for each area is added. The total score becomes a broad measure of how well a TBI victim will recover.
13-15 Mild Brain injury
9-12 Moderate Brain Injury
3-8 Severe Brain Injury
However, based on my personal experience with TBI victims, I have seen that predicting long term outcome can be “risky”. Patients have surprised medical personnel for many years. A high score doesn’t necessarily mean a favorable outcome and a low score doesn’t necessarily indicate a poor outcome. As you will often hear me say…THERE’S ALWAYS HOPE!
Dar Warner, L.P.N., C.B.I.S. can be reached at darwarner@dobsonhealthcare.com or by calling (866) 866-8984