Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Therapy
Traumatic brain injury treatment can include a broad scope of services depending on each patient’s unique needs. At Conscious Health in Los Angeles, CA, customized TBI therapy includes an innovative service called electromagnetic brain pulsing (EMBP).
Table of Contents
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
The term traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to brain damage that is caused by external forces such as:
- Accidentally bumping or being hit on the head (which can include slips and falls)
- A punch or other type of intentional blow
- Sudden jolts, such as what might occur in an automobile accident
- The concussive impact of an explosion
- Foreign objects entering the brain, such as shrapnel
TBI are organized in various ways, such as by how the brain was injured:
- Penetrating or Open TBI: Examples of this category include injuries from bullets, shrapnel, bone shards, or other objects that pierce the skull and enter the brain.
- Non-Penetrating or Closed TBI: These are injuries that result from the brain hitting the inside of the skull, such as from punches or jolts.
TBI may also be classified by the severity of the injury:
- Mild: Injuries that cause no more than 30 minutes of unconsciousness and lead to symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and temporary memory problems
- Moderate: Injuries that cause a person to be unconscious for up to 24 hours, with symptoms that can include contusions, bleeding, and memory loss for up to a week
- Severe: Injures that cause long-term loss of consciousness (coma), with clear signs of damage on neuroimaging tests and extensive memory loss
Sometimes, harm from a TBI is instantly apparent, while in other cases it can take days or even weeks before a person begins to show signs that they have incurred some type of damage.
Signs and Symptoms of TBI
There is no standard set of signs to indicate that a person has incurred a TBI. The symptoms a person experiences, and the effects that these symptoms have on their ability to function, can be influenced by factors such as:
- Which region or regions of their brain were harmed
- The degree of damage these regions incurred
- The quality and timeliness of traumatic brain injury treatment
- The individual’s history of prior TBI or other brain-related concerns
Depending on these and other relevant factors, someone who experiences a TBI may develop a range of physical, cognitive/psychological, and perceptual symptoms.
Possible physical symptoms of a TBI include:
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Impaired balance
- Muscle weakness
- Persistent fatigue
- Loss of consciousness
- Abnormal sleep patterns
- Convulsions
Cognitive and psychological signs that may indicate a person needs TBI treatment include:
- Confusion and disorientation
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Agitation, frustration, and/or irritability
- Uncharacteristic aggressiveness or impulsivity
- Emotion regulation deficits
- Personality changes
- Difficulty focusing or concentrating
- Memory deficits
- Low motivation
A TBI can also have a negative impact on a person’s ability to accurately perceive their environment, with possible symptoms including:
- Blurred or double vision
- Vision loss
- Ringing in the ears
- Hearing loss
- Increased sensitivity to light and sound
- Increased sensitivity to touch and temperature
- Impaired or lost sense of smell and taste
The symptoms listed above can have a significant negative impact on a person’s ability to function in various areas of life, with potential effects including:
- Being unable to drive
- Difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, getting dressed, and tending to personal hygiene
- Diminished performance in school or at work
- Trouble forming and maintaining healthy relationships
- Increased risk of being swindled, assaulted, or otherwise victimized
- Financial problems
- Inability to establish an independent lifestyle
How Is a TBI Diagnosed?
According to the Mayo Clinic, researchers have identified more than 200 symptoms that are associated with long COVID. Of course, a person doesn’t have to develop anywhere near this many symptoms to be diagnosed with this condition.
Unfortunately there’s no universally agreed upon set of criteria to determine who has long haul COVID, nor are there any tests that can confirm if a person’s ongoing symptoms are related to SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus exposure.
How, then, can a person be accurately diagnosed? The process can involve multiple assessment tools, including:
- Checking vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level
- Chest x-rays and/or CT scans to identify lung damage
- Pulmonary tests to assess lung functioning
- Electrocardiograms (EKG) to evaluate heart health
- Cognitive and/or psychological screenings
One of the most important parts of the diagnostic process involves a conversation with the patient about the nature, severity, and duration of their symptoms; their experience with COVID-19, their vaccination history, and other relevant topics.
This conversation and the tests that follow can help the diagnostician identify or rule out other possible causes for the patient’s symptoms.
Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Therapy Options
In the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, therapy can take many forms depending on the scope and severity of the damage.
For example, for someone with a concussion (which is classified as a mild TBI), the optimal course of treatment may consist primarily of physical and mental rest.
For those who incur more serious harm, TBI treatment may include a wide range of medical and therapeutic interventions, such as:
- Surgery
- Prescription medication
- Physical therapy
- Cognitive therapy
- Speech therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Experiential therapies
- Occupational therapy
- Vocational counseling
- Psychotherapy and/or counseling
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy
- Holistic therapies
- Neurofeedback
At Conscious Health in Los Angeles, CA, our TBI therapy options include electromagnetic brain pulsing (EMBP) treatment. EMBP is an innovative service that combines electroencephalograms (EEG) with TMS therapy to provide a truly customized form of treatment for traumatic brain injuries.
At the outset of a patient’s EMBP treatment, they complete an EEG test, which records electrical activity in their brain. Our treatment professionals use this EEG data to identify areas in the patient’s brain that show diminished activity. This information allows us to provide highly customized TMS therapy.
Like the EEG tests, TMS therapy is a noninvasive procedure that does not require patients to be sedated or medicated. During a TMS session, brief electromagnetic pulses are directed at specific regions of the brain, with the goal of stimulating activity in underperforming areas.
Researchers have found that the type of brain stimulation provided via EMBP may offer several benefits to patients who are receiving traumatic brain injury treatment, including reduced depression symptoms and improved memory.
Contact Conscious Health to Begin Treating Your TBI Today
Conscious Health offers a dynamic array of individualized outpatient services for adults who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. When you choose our TBI treatment center in Los Angeles, CA, you can expect to work in close collaboration with a small team of highly skilled professionals. We will take the time to assess the full scope of your needs and understand your short- and long-term goals. Then we’ll provide the focused therapies and support services that can help you take significant strides toward a healthier future. To learn more about traumatic brain injury treatment at Conscious Health, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
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