The location of a human brain stem is at the top of the spinal cord. Whether its motor functions or sensory functions, a brain-stem injury can have serious consequences on a body's functions. It does, however, depend on the seriousness of the brain-stem injury, and an individual may have to face debilitating impairments due to a brain-stem injury.
Key Takeaways
-
The brain stem controls vital body functions like breathing, movement, balance, and heart rate, so injuries here can be life-changing.
-
Symptoms may start mild and worsen over time, including dizziness, speech problems, paralysis, vision issues, difficulty swallowing, and changes in breathing or heart function.
-
Effects can become severe, sometimes leading to permanent disability or complete paralysis if not treated quickly.
-
Common causes include car, truck, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents, falls, workplace or construction accidents, sports injuries, and intentional violence.
-
Treatment often requires hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, or long-term therapy, with recovery taking months or even years.
-
If the injury was caused by negligence, victims may be entitled to compensation, and an experienced personal injury lawyer can help protect their rights.
Brain Stem Injury: Symptoms and Effects
Just like other brain and head injuries, victims can experience one or multiple symptoms. Again, it comes down to the severity and location of the brain injury. Nonetheless, after the accident, the symptoms can start to develop in a matter of days or weeks. In specific brain-stem injury cases, symptoms appear to be mild at first and get worse over time. Some of the most common symptoms related to brain-stem injuries are dizziness, coordination or balance issues, unconsciousness, blurred vision, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, coughing, and swallowing food issues. On the other hand, brain-stem injury victims can also experience difficulty in breathing, abnormal sleep cycle, insomnia, paralysis, issues with controlling movement, reduced motor functions, altered heart rate, repetitive eye-jerk movements, and loss of smell, sense, or reflexes.Can Brain Stem Injury Effects Get Worse?
Yes, there are certain brain-stem injury cases where victims had to endure complete paralysis. Therefore, it is imperative to seek medical attention as soon as possible. In fact, it is the best way to avoid any more complications or damage after a brain injury. When it comes to the cause-and-effect of brain-stem injuries, you have to understand that trauma can disrupt essential body functions. The interruption could impact consciousness, heat regulation, heart function, blood flow, or breathing. Remember, the brain-stem functions as a portal of communication to-and-from the human brain and other areas of the body. With any brain injury or damage, your brain would not be able to receive signals of hunger or thirst from the body. In fact, your body might not even signal your brain to head to the bathroom. For instance, you may not be able to swallow food if there’s a damaged Pons. Similarly, you may lose bladder control, equilibrium, and entire body posture. It may sound harsh, but the fact remains that any damage to the brain-stem can lead to disabilities and impairments in the body. In certain cases, victims often find the act of talking or walking difficult. However, brain-stem injury can also lead to permanent disabilities.Consequences of Brain Stem Injuries
It is vital to understand that the brain-stem can face injury through a direct or indirect result of violence. In most cases, however, victims face brain-stem injury due to an accident that turns into trauma for the head. However, the trauma does not have to be catastrophic to injure the brain-stem. Common causes of brain stem injuries include:- Slips & falls
- Workplace accidents
- Premises liability accidents
- Car accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Intentional violence
- Recreational and sports accidents
- Construction and site-related accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Truck accidents
Brian-Stem Injuries: What about the Treatment and Recovery?
The truth is any event or accident that creates any type of traumatic head injury can damage your brain stem. The practical way to mitigate long-term effects and causes of brain-stem injuries would be to get the required medical treatment after an accident without any delay. When it comes to brain-stem injuries, the treatments depend on the severity and type of injury. You may have to undergo extensive therapy or a rehabilitation program after sustaining a brain-stem injury. Unfortunately, there are some cases where victims do not regain complete physical and occupational abilities. Ordinarily, it all starts with a victim’s stay in the hospital. After that, a qualified neurosurgeon recommends a required surgery to repair the sustained injury. However, a patient has to be in a stable condition before receiving the care of a nursing facility for occupational or vocational therapy. Contrarily, some patients might just need in-home treatment with the help of a personal nurse. Nevertheless, it takes months or even years to gain recovery from a brain-stem injury. Whether you suffer from a severe or mild brain-stem injury, you will need the assistance and experience of a brain injury lawyer. You don’t have to suffer the consequences of someone else’s negligent behavior silently. It is time to take action and ask the guidance of a personal injury attorney who can sympathize with your situation.