2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day in Washington Highlights Brain Injury Awareness Month
March 16, 2011 is Brain Injury Awareness Day, part of a month long celebration of Brain Injury Awareness. The focus of the event is rehabilitation.
The opening speaker was General Peter W. Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff and the moderator of the event was Bobby Silverstein of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition and former Staff Director and Chief Counsel, Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Guest Speakers included:
- Col. Jamie B. Grimes (Director, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center)
- Kathy Helmick (Deputy Director, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury)
- Patty Horan (Wife of Wounded Warrior, Army Capt. Patrick Horan)
- Dr. Lisa McGuire (Research Team Leader, Division of Injury Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Dr. Keith Cicerone (Director of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology at the JFK-Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center)
- Dr. Anne Forrest (Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor and Advocate, formerly Senior Economist at the Environmental Law Institute)
As experienced Kansas City Brain Injury Lawyers, we feel it is important for these types of events to take place. The field of brain injury diagnosis and treatment is constantly developing and advancing. Brain injury victims in Kansas City have been given a great deal of hope in the past year as several developments have helped establish hope in recovering from traumatic brain injuries.
1.7 million people in the United States suffer head injuries every year.
Every year 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain injury, many of them right here in Kansas City. Slips and falls as well as serious injury automobile and motorcycle accidents top the list of the top causes of brain and spinal injuries. The field of neuroscience has seen quite a leap in developments recently that have doctors feeling that long term damage can be prevented if not at least controlled to prevent some of the severe illnesses that can come out of a simple concussion.
Brain injuries affect everyone differently. A bump to the head for one person can mean nothing but to another it can lead to a life time of head aches, blurred vision and possible fatal brain diseases like ALS.
If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury or traumatic brain injury in an accident in Kansas or Missouri, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses, including but not limited to lost wages from work, medical and doctor bills, not to mention legal fees. Don’t try and take on the insurance company alone, you need someone in your corner you can trust. Call experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Attorney James Roswold. With over 15 years of experience in Brain and Spinal Injury Accidents and Traumatic Brain Injury cases, we may be able to assist you and your family through this difficult time.
Contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys to set up a free consultation to discuss your personal injury claim. You can get stated today by downloading our FREE book, “10 Essential Steps to Protecting Your Injury Claim“. We want you to know your rights.
Screenwriter Suffers Serious Brain Injury in Subway Fall Accident in New York
An Academy Award nominated screenwriter suffered a severe head trauma when he was struck by a subway car in New York, NY last week. Will Rokas, who wrote the film “Monster’s Ball” was at the 14th Street station at Seventh Avenue in NY waiting for the No. 2 train when he leaned over the track to look down the tunnel. The train was approaching faster than Rokas realized and it clipped the screenwriter in the head.
The impact tossed Rokas across the platform. Reports indicate the victim attempted to get up, but several people managed to keep him still until paramedics could get to the scene. He was listed in critical condition wit a severe head injury.
As experienced Kansas and Missouri Brain Injury Lawyers we are dedicated to protecting you in the event of an accident. Head injuries can have serious and long lasting effects that can cause damage for days to even months after the initial injury. Treatment for a head injury should begin immediately. The other passengers were right to stabilize the victim even though he was trying to get up. Proper treatment following a serious head injury can help to prevent long term brain damage that can lead to brain disease years down the road.
If you or someone you love have suffered a serious head injury as the result of an accident in Kansas or Missouri, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses including medical bills, lost wages and even legal fees. Don’t delay, call experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys James Roswold and Heather Lottman. With over 15 years of experience with Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries including traumatic brain injuries, we may be able to assist your family through this difficult time.
Contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys to schedule a free consultation to discuss your personal injury case.
Brain Injury Conference in St. Charles, MO. a Way to Gather Knowledge on Latest TBI Treatments
The Brain Injury of Missouri Annual Statewide Conference is taking place this week in St. Charles, Missouri. The sixth annual event is dedicated to bringing together the top professionals in the field of neuroscience in order to share information on the newest technologies and latest treatment plans. This year’s conference, “Brain Injury: Fact, Fallacies and New Frontiers” is focusing on treatment for severe head and brain injuries, especially concussions.
The conference began on October 20th and will be going on through the 23rd. The four day event will be filled with national and local guest speakers, including many from the University of Missouri. Anyone involved in a field dealing with traumatic brain injury are encouraged to attend.
Friday’s panels include Sports Concussions, Integrating Soldiers into the Community following Brain Injury and Concussion Assessment and Management. For more information, check out the website for the Brain Injury Association of Missouri.
As a special treat, on Saturday October 23, there will be a special art show, displaying artwork done by brain injury victims. The show is free of charge.
The Kansas City Brain Injury Lawyers of Roswold Law Group are encouraged to know that this conference and many like it go on so often, not only in Kansas and Missouri, but the rest of the country as well. It’s so very important for the best and brightest in this important field of medicine to get together and share ideas like this. The world of brain injury diagnosis and treatments is constantly changing and we’re glad there are conferences like this that allow doctors and health care workers to get together and pick each other’s brains.
If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury or traumatic brain injury in an accident in Kansas or Missouri, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses, including but not limited to lost wages from work, medical and doctor bills, not to mention legal fees. Don’t try and take on the insurance company alone, you need someone in your corner you can trust. Contact the experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys of Roswold Law Group. With over 15 years of experience in Brain and Spinal Injury Accidents and Traumatic Brain Injury cases, we may be able to assist you and your family through this difficult time. Call our office today to set up your free consultation.
Are You Suffering From a Serious Brain Injury in Kansas City? Research Suggests Wii Beneficial For Brain Injury Recovery
Kansas State University researchers have found that Nintendo’s Wii Fit helped improve balance for a soldier with a traumatic brain injury(TBI).
Some symptoms of TBI include:
Measurements of balance were taken in the beginning of the experiment. The study had five training sessions, 30 minutes each, playing different Wii games, which showed improvements of the soldier’s balance.
The soldier also reported liking the rehab process, Stating ”it was interactive and showed his progress through the training”.
Hildebrand Says: ”Wii has been out for a few years and has been used in settings like hospitals, nursing homes and clinics for all types of rehab, but there’s not a lot of published research that shows that it’s effective. Hes goes on to say”The Wii is different from other virtual reality technologies used in rehabilitations. Its advantages include that it’s cheaper, easily accessible and easy to use. Possible follow-up research includes the effects of Wii on rehabilitation for other conditions, including injuries like ankle sprains and knee injuries”.
The three leading causes of TBI are: The head being struck with force; the head striking an object; and/or thebrain undergoing movement within the skull yet without visual trauma to the exterior of the head.
TBI’s are an ongoing problem with soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Blasts are the leading cause of TBI with soldiers, which often go unnoticed. 20 % of active duty soldiers suffer a TBI.
The Kansas City Brain Injury Attorneys at Roswold Law Group hope to see more improvements in the Brain Injury research field. Brain Injury is the leading cause of death adn disability in the US, including the Kansas City area.
If you or someone you love have suffered a serious injury to your brain or spinal cord in an accident in Kansas or Missouri, contact the experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys of Roswold Law Group. With over 15 years of experience in Brain and Spinal Injury cases, we can help you with your claim.
Prismatic Eye Glasses Reduce Symptoms Of Traumatic Brain Injury
Recent studies by four Michigan physicians suggest prismatic eyeglasses reduce Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and anxiety. The prisms correct visual image misalignment which causes vision to be doubled, called heterophoria,which causes the muscles of the eyes to become strained and overworked, which has been linked headaches, dizziness, anxiety and pain in the neck.
The study involved 43 patients all of which suffered a TBI and had been diagnosed with vertical heterophia and have had the symptoms for more than 3 years. Treatment with the glasses seemed to be very effective in reducing the symptoms of both Traumatic Brain Injury and vertical heterophia. Headache symptoms were reduced by 79 percent.
For victims of TBI, symptoms such as headaches and dizziness can be just the beginning. The longer you go without seeking medical treatment for a head injury, the worse the damage can be to the brain. If you have received a head injury in an accident, seek medical attention. Even the slightest bumps to the head can cause damage. The brain is a precious muscle. Take care of yourself.
Attorney James Roswold of Roswold Law Group knows how devestating a traumatic brain injury can be and hopes to see more improvements in Traumatic Brain Injury. If you or a loved one suffer from a TBI contact the experienced Kansas City personal injury attorneys of the Roswold Law Group that specialize in accidents related to serious brain injury today for a free consultation.
Bicyclists: Protect Your Brain – Wear A Helmet.
Bicycling season is here! Does everyone have their helmet? EVERYONE (adults included) needs a helmet, not just children.
Perhaps a surprising statistic, research has shown that adults 30 years and older need helmets the the most. According to Dr. Angela F. Gardner, President of the American College of Emergency Physicians, “As you age, your brain shrinks, but your skull does not. That extra space means that the brain can bounce around inside the skull and may be more easily damaged from a blow.”
Research regarding the safety benefits of wearing a helmet suggests that people who wear helmets reduce their risk of brain injury up to 88 percent and their risk of facial injury by approximately 65 percent. Riders who not wearing a helmet do not typically fair well when involved an accident. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2008 more than 90 percent of the 714 bicyclists killed were not wearing helmets.
The brain injury attorneys at Roswold Law Group would like to see people protect themselves from injury by wearing a helmet. Have fun, But be safe!
Child Head Injuries: When Is It Serious Enough To Rush To The ER?
Young children fall off beds, changing tables, and down stairs. Older children hit their heads on the grass fields or concrete streets when they fall off bikes and roller skates. Those are just a few examples of how a child could fall and hit their head.
While some blows to the head due to accidental falls are minor, others are severe and require medical treatment immediately. The trick is to knowing how to spot the latter of these two scenarios. Parents often ask, “When is it necessary to bring my child to the emergency room after a head injury?” or “How do I know what is a serious vs a minor injury?”
Pediatric physicians suggest that the first thing for parents or caretakers to do in the event of a fall is to find out what happened — get the child’s input. Typically, if there is no profuse bleeding, loss of consciousness or noticeable changes in behavior, the injury is most likely minor and doesn’t require medical attention. Other signs of serious head trauma might include:nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, seizures, lethargy, irritability, swelling, bruising, and memory loss. Symptoms such as these can be delayed for up to 36 hours, so it is important to stay alert to the child’s mood, behavior, and demeanor for the two days following the accident.
The Kansas City brain injury attorneys at Roswold Law Group know how serious head injuries can be and how vital time is when it comes to getting children to the hospital after such an incident. Just remember, look at your child for noticeable signs of injury and then remain calm while you ask them to recall what happened in their own words. This will help you make an informed decision about whether or not you need to proceed to a hospital ER for further medical attention.
WARNING: Loss of Taste and Smell Due to Traumatic Brain Injury
Scientists from The University of Montreal finds that traumatic brain injuries (TBI), ranging from moderate to severe, can cause loss of smell and/or taste. The team of scientists found 49 people with TBI (73% male with an average age of 43), and had them answer questionnaires and perform tests to measure loss of smell and taste. The findings revealed that 55 percent had an impaired sense of smell.
Indications of both test came to conclude: patients with frontal brain injuries are more likely to have loss of smell, which plays a large role in daily lives. A loss of smell can pose health and safety risks because we use our olfactory system to smell our foods before we eat and to check for potential fires or gas leaks. Loss of smell has also been linked to a poor quality of life causing depression, mood swings, worries about personal hygeine, and loss of appetite.
The kansas city based brain injury attorneys at Roswold Law Group have written a number of articles with information on brain injuries including Tips for Communicating with Your Doctor. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, we encourage you to browse through our site – we provide a library of articles and frequently asked questions regarding Missouri and Kansas brain injuries.