Doctor Calls Virginia Head Injuries A Silent Epidemic

Doctors in Virginia are employing new ways of studying the effects of traumatic brain injury, which they have labeled “a silent public health epidemic.”Dr. Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, says that effects of head injury can take weeks to present, but can also be permanent. “In many cases, people will have a mild head injury and people around them will tell them to ‘Shake it off, you’ll be okay in a little while.’ And they seem fine a day or a week later. But often what will happen after a period of time, one will start to see changes in behavior that will be directly related to TBI,” Dr. Friedlander told reporters.Dr. Friedlander says traumatic brain injuries can be difficult to diagnose, since current testing procedures are not precise enough to detect the injury. He suggests that new methods, such as functional MRIs to study brain function immediately after the injury and each day during the healing process, can give patients a better chance at full recovery. About 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with TBI every year. If left untreated, victims can have trouble controlling emotions, experience memory loss, or have permanent changes in the way their brains work. Traumatic brain injury can be a result of many things, but car accidents, falls and contact sports are the leading causes. “Amongst children, from about birth to age 14 in the U.S., TBI is the leading cause of death, and the leading cause of disability of children,” Dr. Friedlander says. If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in DC, our Fairfax brain injury attorneys can get you the compensation you deserve. Call Shevlin Smith today at 703-721-4233 for your free consultation.