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Recent Blog Posts
New Study Gives Hope To Spinal Cord Injury Victims In D.C.
A recent study for a viable spinal cord injury treatment may shortly have D.C. victims gaining hope and possibly standing for joy within the next few years.
Pengzhe (Paul) Lu, a neuroscientist at the University of California in San Diego has recently made a breakthrough in spinal cord injury regeneration. His recent study-involving growth factors and neural stem cells being grafted onto a specimen with an injured spinal cord-has yielded remarkable results. The combination of stem cells and growth factors help the nervous tissue rapidly produce and heal axons (nerve transmitters in the body).
Lu has seen significant improvement in reversing subacute injuries (spinal cord degeneration) in rats throughout his ongoing study. This is the first time in history that such results have been documented and Lu strongly believes that it will have the same results in humans.
However, at this time, motor skills are still very weak. He states in his findings, published in the September 14th issue of The Scientific Journal, that there is a definite improvement of motor function-it just isn't as good as it needs to be. His test subjects had poor coordination and were unable to support weight on their hind legs.
The Undiagnosed Stroke: What to Look for After Surgery
While most people know that there are risks involved with surgery, did you know that one of the most common risks involves a brain injury? The reason for a surgery can be frightening enough-but the complications of a stroke following the surgery can be just as scary.
Surgeries related to cardiology, neurology, and pulmonary conditions have the highest risk of a post-operative stroke. Complicating things further, a stroke may not be visible to medical personnel right away. Many of the indications of a stroke closely resemble normal surgical recovery side effects so a stroke is also often undiagnosed.
With a stroke, time is of the essence as lasting effects can be minimized with medication. The following signs and symptoms can help to determine if a stroke has occurred:
- Numbness – After a surgery, a patient may complain of numbness isolated to one side of the body, such as the left arm or hand. Some patients may have complete impairment and not be able to move a limb or an area of the face at all.
Recovering From Depression After a Traumatic Brain Injury
Approximately 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury in the United States each year. More than 1.3 million of these people seek emergency medical care for their injuries, but what happens to brain-injury survivors after they leave the hospital?
Traumatic Brian Injuries Can Lead to Depression
In May 2010, the Journal of the American Medical Association* published the results of a new study of traumatic brain-injury victims. According to the study, more than half of all serious traumatic brain-injury victims suffer from depression. The study found that about 53 percent of people with serious brain injuries suffer from major depressive disorder within one year of their injury. That rate is about eight times higher than that of the general population.
What's worse? Fewer than half of the brain injury victims who suffer from major depressive disorder are getting the help they need. The study found that only 44 percent of the victims received any counseling or medication to help them.
The Hidden Dangers of a Well-Known Safety Feature
In the past twenty years, there have been many strides made in the improvement of automotive safety. One of the most notable is the addition of airbags. All models made after 1998 were required to include airbags.
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), since 1998, airbags have been 75 percent effective in preventing serious head injuries and 66 percent effective in preventing serious chest injuries.
- Airbags were designed to deploy in moderate to severe frontal crashes.
Preventing Injuries From Airbags
While they were made designed to save lives, they can also cause extensive damage when they are not used properly. The following tips can help minimize injury from airbags:
1.Your primary source of restraint should always be a seat belt. An airbag is considered a secondary source.
- In 2012, over 50% of people that died in car accidents were not wearing their seat belts.
2.Your position in the seat is the greatest factor in determining airbag safety.
Is Your Amputation Changing Your Mood In Northern Virginia?
Have you, like hundreds of other people in Northern Virginia, suffered from an injury that caused you to lose a limb? Have you noticed that since this injury you have become more and more depressed, agitated, or unhappy?
You're not alone. Personal injury amputations caused by car accidents, defective machinery, medical malpractice, or violence occur everyday. With these amputations comes depression and changes in mood.
Amputations From Injuries Often Affect Mood
When we lose someone dear to us, the natural reaction is to be sad and mourn. This allows us to cope with the loss mentally. Eventually, this sadness begins to lessen as we fill the void with other things. Painful memories fade into the background, leaving the happy memories to fight depression and make us smile. However, when you lose a limb, you're reminded of your loss everyday. This makes it extremely difficult for the pain and sadness to fade. This consistent grief can severely alter your mood and-if not properly addressed-can cause extreme depression and anxiety.
Benefits of Stem Cell Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States currently are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI), and, on a daily basis, hundreds more suffer accidents that affect their heads, necks, or spines. These victims must undergo countless hours of surgery, physical and psychological therapy, and treatments in order to begin to recover.
But what if there were a treatment that created new, healthy nerve and muscle tissues instead of trying to revive injured ones?
Some of the most promising SCI treatment research revolves around the use of stem cells to help regrow and replace damaged nerves and receptor cells in order for victims to regain spinal use.
The Benefits of Stem Cells
Stem cells are sort of like freshmen at Strayer or GMU who are about to decide on a major; they have an enormous amount of potential but haven't quite decided what type of cell they need to become. Depending on where they are in the body, they grow, help and act as different types of cells; they can basically become anything if put in the right place. Therefore, when placed in the correct spots on the spine, they'll grow and replicate to help heal any damage or injury.
D.C. Drivers Ranked Worst In Country For Causing Accidents
How many times have you been driving in Washington D.C. and think to yourself that you're the only safe driver in the entire city and all the other drivers are merely there to cause accidents?
You may not be too far off. A recent Allstate Corporation poll for safe driving has Washington D.C. ranked dead last in a national average for the sixth year in a row. According to their findings, a D.C. driver will be a victim or cause of an accident every 4.8 years. This is twice as frequent as the national average of one collision every 10 years in most other U.S. cities.
The causes of these accidents may have to do with crowded and smaller streets as well as street congestion. However, driving safely and defensively should offset these hazards and improve the safety of all motorists and pedestrians.
A few guidelines for safe driving in D.C. include:
- Keep your eyes on the road-not your phone, radio, or other distracting device
- Keep an adequate distance between you and the car ahead of you
Pregnancy Hormones May Help Treat Washington D.C. Brain Injuries
The ever-increasing number of brain injury victims in Washington, D.C. may soon have a reason to rejoice. A scientific study that began in 2012 provides new hope for treatment of brain injuries through the use of progesterone, a natural hormone found during pregnancy. This hormone helps prepare the uterus to hold the fertilized egg and to maintain the uterus throughout the pregnancy. However, a recent worldwide study has shown encouraging results using progesterone as a treatment for brain injuries, as it has a unique ability to protect cell structure.
Over 21 different countries are participating in this treatment study-aptly named SyNAPSe-and have had positive results. During this study, the progesterone is given no more than eight hours after the initial injury and is administered over the course of five days. The results of the hormone treatments have been heartening. They show reduction in:
- Brain inflammation
- Brain swelling
- Cell death
as well as an increase in the ability to rebuild the barrier of blood between the brain and skull.
Understanding Brain Trauma To Help Decrease The Fatality Rate In D.C.
Washington D.C. has among the highest recorded instances of head injury cases and fatalities in the nation. Many of these may have been avoided if proper caution and action had been taken early.
Throughout our lives we have all experienced headaches, dizziness, or the occasional forgetful moment without fearing those symptoms were caused by brain trauma. Generally, we have thought these problems as no big deal, and we've either carried on despite them or just taken a few aspirins and gone to bed. However, under the right circumstances these symptoms could be the warning signs of serious brain injury.
Most brain-related fatalities are caused when the blood flow to the brain is decreased, limiting essential oxygen circulation and increasing the chance of brain damage and death. This can be caused in two different ways: external trauma and internal trauma.
What is External Brain Trauma?
External trauma can lead to swelling of the brain, which puts pressure on the blood vessels, cutting off the oxygen supply. This swelling can be caused by:
Preventing Child Deaths in Car Crashes
As experienced Virginia car accident lawyers, we've seen a lot of injuries. The most disturbing, however, are the most innocent victims of car accidents-those who are too young to even drive. Although we don't like to think about our children ever coming to harm, the fact is that children are more likely to be killed in an accident than any other passenger.
Statistics on Children and Car Accidents
- Every year, nearly a quarter of a million children are injured in car accidents.
- Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 2 and 14.
- One fifth of all children killed in car accidents die as a result of a drunk driver-and half of those are killed as a result of riding in a car with an intoxicated guardian behind the wheel.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates reveal that 72% of all child safety restraints are used incorrectly.
- A Center for Disease Control report reveals that almost 10,000 children are treated annually as a result of non-traffic car accidents, such as backing over a child or leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
703-591-0067
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703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
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