This is a special page intended for those in the medical and legal professions who offer services to people with brain injuries. In these last years I realized there is little coordination between the medical professionals who are treating various problems associated with TBI. It was challenging for me, as the brain injured patient to sort through all the information I was given. Sometimes I would have to explain it to another provider. Sometimes, I got the best medical advice from my attorney who specializes in brain injury cases. Interdisciplinary care and awareness of treatment options is definitely lacking especially for those of us considered to have “mild TBI”.
The resources listed below might be useful across the medical specialties:
- Physical Therapy Continuing Education – Vestibular and Balance Deficits After Brain Injury
- Physician TBI Training Seminar
- Working in Brain Injury
- Identifying and Treating Concussion/mTBI – free course for credit
- Traumatic Brain Injury Model System
- Music Therapy and TBI
- The Neuropathology and Neurobiology of Traumatic Brain Injury
- Webinar: The Battle Within – TBI, PTSD and Violence
- Mild Head Injury Upsets Brain’s Resting State
- American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Brain Injury Medicine – Principles and Practice
- The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
- Brain Injury – Research Journal
- The Organization for Brain Injury Professionals
- Facts for Physicians Booklet
- TBI Resources for Clinicians
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Pocket Guide (developed for military but useful for all)
- Practical Management of Head and Neck Injuries
Hopefully your insurer(s) will also be following the challenges and controversies in diagnosis. There are some interesting findings, with some of the neuronal functional changes mismatch.
RED FLAGS in establishing the Dx: (1) Clear, vivid memories of the entire incident with no “gaps” may suggest a Differential Diagnosis of PTSD,.RED FLAGS – SYMPTOMS that just Don’t “Fit” with MTBI- (1) Autobiographical memory loss (e. g. forgetting birthdate or other personal information) (2) Pseudoneurological disturbance (e. g. ataxic-like gait, unusual or atypical speech patterns (3) Global pain symptoms (4) Very specific descriptive statements, e. g. “I have executive dysfunction!” (5) Factitious Disorder and/or Malingering – inconsistencies of reporting.
It is AMAZING how many “injuries” are over-rated (Incidentally, the milder the injury, the more severely the person tries to score on the test!”)
Margaret Green