National Brain Injury Awareness Month: It Takes a Village
Brain injuries affect everyone: from children to our elders in everyday life, work, or sport with far-reaching consequences, both obvious and subtle, appearing right away or days and weeks after injury. These symptoms include dizziness or balance problems, incoordination, energy levels, fatigue, headaches, vision problems, attention and concentration, memory, emotional changes, or sleep problems. Getting to the bottom of the bottom of these complex, often seemingly unrelated, problems and successful rehabilitation takes dedicated collaboration among many teams: the medical team of health care providers, school and work teams, and the family.
The awareness of brain injuries has moved from the shadows to the spotlight in the past several years with the interest and awareness of sport-related concussions from youth sport to the professional leagues, military blast injuries, and fall-related brain injuries. Combine this with the risk of fall and its consequences for the aging global population, the demand for services and innovative technologies has skyrocketed as well.
Did you know that impaired motor control (e.g. balance, movement patterns, force production) often occurs after brain injury in sport and that athletes may have a higher risk for orthopedic injury1? Dizziness and imbalance due to vestibular impairments occur in more than half of those who have experienced a brain injury2. Visual motion sensitivity and visual perception have been identified as risk factors for falls, especially in the elderly3.
Each journey to recovery from a brain injury is unique, with individuals facing their own set of symptoms and obstacles. Despite the formidable nature of these challenges, there are advanced technologies, protocols, and dedicated experts in the field committed to navigating these complexities. At Bertec Corporation, we take pride in collaborating with skilled clinicians, researchers, and engineers to develop top-of-the-line products aimed at effectively addressing these challenges. We express our gratitude to the brilliant, compassionate, and dedicated professionals who are driving progress in this intricate field. In recognizing their efforts, we also encourage appreciation for all those who support individuals on their path to recovery from brain injuries. Successful rehabilitation requires the collective effort of an entire community—a testament to the proverbial truth that it truly takes a village.
Chmielewski, T. L., Tatman, J., Suzuki, S., Horodyski, M., Reisman, D. S., Bauer, R. M., Clugston, J. R., & Herman, D. C. (2021). Impaired motor control after sport-related concussion could increase risk for musculoskeletal injury: Implications for clinical management and rehabilitation. Journal of sport and health science, 10(2), 154–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.11.005
Patricios, J. S., Schneider, K. J., Dvorak, J., Ahmed, O. H., Blauwet, C., Cantu, R. C., Davis, G. A., Echemendia, R. J., Makdissi, M., McNamee, M., Broglio, S., Emery, C. A., Feddermann-Demont, N., Fuller, G. W., Giza, C. C., Guskiewicz, K. M., Hainline, B., Iverson, G. L., Kutcher, J. S., Leddy, J. J., … Meeuwisse, W. (2023). Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport-Amsterdam, October 2022. British journal of sports medicine, 57(11), 695–711. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106898
Saftari, L. N., & Kwon, O. S. (2018). Ageing vision and falls: a review. Journal of physiological anthropology, 37(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-018-0170-1
