Brain Injury Resources Necessary to Treat TBI
In a recent interview brain injury expert Dr. Erin Bigler, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine and member of the Utah Brain Institute, reported that the technology used to diagnose brain injuries has improved tremendously over the last 30 years. He further said, “But the problem is we haven’t made tremendous gains in how to treat these people.” The brain is well designed to withstand minor problems, Bigler said. “It recovers from a fall and a blow quite well. But it's a new era we're in. The brain isn't designed to withstand high-velocity impact,” he said, such as from motor accidents, sports and military combat. “Brain tissue doesn't regenerate,” he explained. “Therefore you have to deal with pathways that survive and how to re-engage those pathways. That is the goal of rehabilitation when the brain is injured.” Citing the medical case of co-anchor Bob Woodruff’s recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury saying it was “unbelievable” yet shows that much more could be done to treat brain injuries if resources were unlimited. While new imaging tools allow physicians to better diagnose problems in the brain, he said, "We’re still in infancy in how to treat these. That's the focus that is so important right now.” Traumatic brain injuries can have devastating emotional and physical effects on individuals and their families that is why it is imperative to seek legal help from expert lawyers who intimately know what families are dealing with so that they can secure whatever rights and resources the victims may have available to them.
