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Brain Injury Study Challenges Preconceived Notions About Recovery

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Brain injury recovery study shows that cognitive performance can improve with strategy-based training well beyond the year after the TBI is sustained A recent traumatic brain injury recovery study published in the Neuropsychological Rehabilitation journal will hopefully clear up some misconceptions about recovering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The study was conducted by the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. TBIs are among the most common injuries sustained in the United States, with over 5 million individuals currently living with one. These types of brain injuries are not just sustained in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, or semi-truck crashes;...

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Women’s World Cup Head Collision Illustrates Soccer’s Concussion Risk

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Yesterday's head collision between US and German soccer players shows concussion risk in soccer If you watched yesterday’s Women’s World Cup match between the Team USA and Germany, you probably saw the particularly nasty head collision between midfielders Morgan Brian (US) and Alexandra Popp (Germany). While it’s not immediately evident that either player sustained a concussion or other sort of head or brain injury (remember, it can take a few days for symptoms to manifest), many who watched the match cried foul at the amount of time it took before both players were allowed to resume play. Concussions in Sports not limited to...

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Nursing Home Compare: A helpful tool for Nursing Home Research

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Nursing Home Compare provides the latest evaluations of nursing homes in Michigan, and is invaluable as you decide which facility will best meet your needs. As we age, or as our loved ones age, some find themselves considering whether Michigan nursing homes or similarly situated assisted living facilities are an option. It can be a difficult decision to make, and as such should not be done lightly. Conducting thorough research is imperative, which is what makes tools such as Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare so valuable. It provides a great deal of information about nursing homes throughout the state and across the...

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With Technology, Even a Spinal Cord Injury Can’t Keep You from Walking

Our Michigan law firm specializes in personal injury claims.  As a result, we see more than our share of clients with a spinal cord injury.  Often, these individuals’ ability to use their limbs has been severely impaired or outright lost.  In the past, attorneys in our position were faced with the reality that regardless of the size of the jury verdicts or settlements we obtained for our clients, no amount of money could give the client the use of their limbs.  But that reality is slowly changing due to rapid scientific progress.  For example, we previously blogged about experimental stem-cell...

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National Brain Injury Awareness Month

National Brain Injury Awareness Month

Think of any food, activity, or cause and there is probably a month or day dedicated in its honor. October is National Pizza Month. February is National Bird Feeding Month. March, however, is truly significant in that it is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. As a law firm specializing in the area of personal injury, we understand the profound impact brain injuries can have on individuals and their families. In the past, the issue of brain injuries remained out of the spotlight. But thanks to the controversy embroiling the National Football League, the issue has received much more attention as of...

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New Promise for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

A company out of California, StemCells, Inc., recently released the results of its 12-month study regarding the use of stem cells to return some function to victims of complete spinal cord injuries. A “complete” spinal cord injury refers to a total loss of motor and sensory function below the injury site.  An “incomplete” injury describes damage to the spinal cord that results in the loss of some, but not all, function. The study was fairly small; only three patients were studied, each suffering from a complete spinal cord injury.  Twenty million stem cells (more specifically, “purified human neural stem cells”) were introduced to...

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Brain-Computer Interface Technology for Spinal Cord Injuries

A remarkable study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh further demonstrates the ability of individuals with various degrees of paralysis to “control assistive devices and reanimate paralyzed limbs” with nothing more than their mind.  This feat is possible thanks to brain-computer interface (BCI) technology – a type of system that allows for direct communication between one’s mind and a computer. The study, which was published in PLOS ONE and titled “An Electrocorticographic Brain Interface in an Individual with Tetraplegia,” centered on a 30-year-old male who had suffered a C4-level spinal cord injury seven years prior to the experiment.  As...

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Football Helmets May Protect Against Wrong Force

Football Helmets - Sports Injuries to the Brain

More and more evidence supports the belief that traumatic brain injuries in football tend to be caused by “rotational,” as opposed to “linear,” forces on the brain.  Writer Tom Foster explores this important distinction in his article for Popular Science entitled, “The Helmet That Can Save Football.” Linear forces are straight forward, literally; they hit the impact surface (in this case, the helmet) straight on inflicting a direct line of force.  Rotational forces, on the other hand, are forces that strike the skull at an angle.  In the barely controlled chaos of football, linear collisions are much less likely than collisions...

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Environmental Enrichment: Recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury

The amount and quality of stimulation one receives after suffering a traumatic brain injury can impact the rate and level of a victim’s recovery.  This is the finding of a study recently published in the medical journal, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.  “Environmental enrichment” refers to the cognitive, physical, and social stimulation an individual derives from his or her environment.  The concept also considers how the structure of a victim’s environment can promote maximum participation by him or her. In the weeks and months following a traumatic brain injury, victims can experience brain deterioration, which is correlated with changes in behavior, including depression. This study...

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Quick(er) Detection of Traumatic Brain Injuries

The Infrascanner Model 2000 is a handheld device capable of detecting intracranial bleeding associated with traumatic brain injuries.  The device’s portability allows medical providers to screen patients at the scene of the injury, e.g., an automobile accident, to assess the urgency of the patient’s need for medical care.  This is significant given that, as a general rule, doctors recommend head injuries be treated within the so-called “golden hour” after they occur....

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