A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious injury that requires immediate medical attention and the proper rehabilitative care. The recovery process from a TBI can be challenging. Unfortunately, serious brain injuries often have long-term adverse effects. Here, our Snellville personal injury attorney explains the key things you should know about the long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
An Overview of the Long-Term Effects of a TBI
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a major cause of deaths and disabilities in the United States. In fact, there are as many as four million TBIs diagnosed in the country each year. The true number of total TBIs is undoubtedly significantly higher, as they are systematically underreported. Immediate medical care for a TBI is a must. These injuries can have long-term effects. Some of the most common include:
- Cognitive Impairments and Executive Dysfunction: Unfortunately, people with long-term TBI effects often struggle with memory, concentration, and decision-making. Simple tasks can feel overwhelming or confusing. Neurologically, these symptoms reflect diffuse axonal injury (DAI). That is a microscopic tearing of nerve fibers caused by rapid acceleration and deceleration forces. The damage disrupts connectivity within the frontal and parietal lobes, regions responsible for planning, reasoning, and working memory. Notably, neuroimaging frequently reveals reduced white matter integrity.
- Emotional and/or Behavioral Changes: Injured victims with TBIs also often experience mood swings, irritability, or depression. Loved ones often describe dramatic personality shifts. These changes are linked to dysfunction in the limbic system and prefrontal cortex, areas that regulate impulse control and emotional regulation. Altered neurotransmitter activity (especially involving serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate) contributes to instability, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Long-term studies show that TBI patients have significantly higher rates of major depressive disorder and bipolar-like affective syndromes.
- Motor and Coordination Deficits: Another issue that many TBI survivors continue to face during their long-term recovery is problems related to movement, balance, and fine motor control. Even seemingly simple everyday tasks like walking, writing, or holding objects may require rehabilitation. Physiologically, these impairments stem from lesions in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, or motor cortex. Axonal shearing and inflammation interfere with the corticospinal tracts, the neural pathways that carry movement signals from the brain to the muscles.
- Sensory and Perceptual Problems: After a TBI, many people also report sensitivity to light, sound, or touch. Vision changes and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) are also common. These effects result from injury to the occipital and temporal lobes, as well as to the cranial nerves responsible for visual and auditory processing. Neural overstimulation causes disorders such as photophobia and hyperacusis, where normal light or sound becomes painful. Damage to the parietal lobe may also cause spatial disorientation or loss of proprioception. In other words, the victim’s brain may lose a strong sense of the body’s positioning.
- Neurodegenerative and Endocrine Complications: Finally, a growing body of research links TBI to long-term neurodegenerative disease. Some patients develop symptoms resembling Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s years after their injury. The degeneration is associated with chronic neuroinflammation and the abnormal accumulation of tau protein and beta-amyloid plaques within brain tissue. Those are hallmarks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Rehabilitative Care is Key to Limiting and Managing the TBI Long-Term Effects
It is important to emphasize that recovery from a traumatic brain injury does not end with hospital discharge. Ongoing rehabilitation is crucial for restoring function and preventing secondary decline. Patients often require a multidisciplinary approach involving physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and neuropsychological counseling. These interventions promote neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections.
Consistent rehabilitative care also addresses behavioral, sensory, and cognitive symptoms that can worsen without treatment. In Georgia, early and continuous therapy supported by specialized medical providers gives TBI survivors the best chance to regain independence and long-term quality of life. Our Snellville, GA personal injury lawyers fight tirelessly to ensure that injured victims have access to all of the resources that they need to make the strongest possible recovery.
Recovering Compensation to Deal with Traumatic Brain Injury Long-Term Effects
Did you suffer a head injury in Snellville? Under Georgia law, you have the right to seek compensation for the full extent of your damages, including for both economic losses and non-economic losses. Do not let any insurance company pressure you into accepting a settlement that does not properly account for the long-term adverse effects of your TBI. Our Snellville, GA brain injury lawyer can help. You may be entitled to recover compensation for:
- Emergency room care
- Hospital bills and other health care costs
- Medications and medical equipment
- Physical therapy and rehabilitative care
- Mental health services
- Loss of wages
- Loss of earning power
- Pain and suffering
- Mental distress
- Disability
- Cognitive impairment
- Reduced quality of life
Why Rely On Our Snellville, GA Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
A serious traumatic brain injury can change your entire life. TBIs have the potential to have major adverse long-term effects, including physical, cognitive, and emotional. At Griffin Law Firm, P.C., we put victims and families first. With a proven record of testimonials and case results, our Snellville, GA, TBI lawyers are always ready to go the extra mile for injured victims. We have a conveniently located office right here in Snellville, and we are proud to support this community. Your initial consultation with our Snellville TBI lawyer is free, fully confidential, and carries no obligations.
Contact Snellville TBI Attorney for a Free Case Review
At Griffin Law Firm, P.C., our Snellville personal injury lawyer is an aggressive, experienced advocate for justice. We are proud to put people and families first when it matters most. If you or your loved one suffered a bad traumatic brain injury, we are here to help. Call us now or contact us online to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation. We represent injured victims in Snellville and throughout Gwinnett County, including in the zip codes of 30017, 30039, and 30078.