CTE After Brain Injury: Causes, Signs, & Treatment for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

shop-mgr2023-01-03T15:27:33+08:00 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurological condition associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries. While it has gathered widespread attention because of its relation to sports-related injuries, much about CTEs has yet to be understood. Causes of CTE: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy While each CTE is unique, the common cause underlying all CTEs is repeated traumatic brain injuries. The concept that repeated blows to the head might induce a neurodegenerative condition is not new. When a head injury is neurodegenerative, it means that it worsens over time due to progressive damage to brain cells. This condition has historically been referred to as “punch drunk” syndrome because it was most...

Aphasia After Concussion: Why It Occurs and How to Overcome It

shop-mgr2023-01-09T12:44:40+08:00 Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects one’s ability to produce or understand language. It is most commonly associated with damage to the left hemisphere, which is typically where the language centers of the brain reside. Often, cases of aphasia after a concussion resolve on their own after a few days. However, if symptoms persist, there are treatments available to strengthen language functions. What is the Link Between Aphasia and Concussion? A concussion is a mild type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head (or body in the case of whiplash) that causes the brain to rapidly move around within...

Incontinence After Brain Injury: Why It Occurs and How to Manage It

shop-mgr2023-01-09T12:34:06+08:00 Attention can be affected in many ways following a brain injury. As a result, a personalized approach to treatment that focuses on each individual’s specific attention deficits is ideal. Below, we’ll go over some of the best practices for improving concentration skills after brain injury: 1. Focus on Your Overall Health As we mentioned above, sometimes it’s not just cognitive issues that lead to attention problems. Lack of sleep, a poor diet, pain, stress, and side effects from medications may contribute to attention problems. Therefore, along with other specific treatments, it can help to also focus on your overall health to maximize recovery. The...

Attention Problems After Brain Injury: How to Improve Focus

shop-mgr2023-01-09T12:31:27+08:00 Attention problems are a common secondary effect of brain injury. They can make it challenging to complete everyday tasks, maintain conversations, and affect your performance at work or school. Fortunately, concentration skills can often be improved after a brain injury, and this post will show you how. What is Attention? Teachers have been asking students to “pay attention” for years. However, the concept of attention is more complex than it initially seems. There are many types of attention that may be affected due to a brain injury. These include: Arousal attention: being generally alert to your surroundings. Sensory attention: focusing on something using a specific sense. For...

Coma After Brain Injury: Causes and Recovery Outlook

shop-mgr2023-01-09T12:28:40+08:00 Another helpful way to treat spasticity and prevent contractures is to inhibit the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex is a muscle contraction that occurs in response to stretching within the muscle. When a muscle lengthens, the muscle spindles are stretched and alpha motor neuron activity increases. This causes the stretched muscle fibers to contract. This reflex normally protects the muscles from injury and tears, but it also makes them more difficult to stretch. To get around this, therapists recommend taking advantage of reciprocal inhibition. This occurs when the one muscle group activates and the brain inhibits the stretch reflex of the opposing muscle. Therefore, to use...