Life After Traumatic Brain Injury

by Katelynn Mouton

Is there life after a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? The common misconception, according to Sonya Brooks, MA, CCC-L/SLP, owner of Hope Therapy Center, LLC, and neurology specialist Jim Marcantel, PT, DPT, is that recovery is impossible or limited to after the first year following the injury. Recovery is challenging, but not at all impossible.

“While it is true that we emphasize the first year after injury as an important time for recovery, progress can certainly continue beyond this time. It is also true that the longer after the injury, the greater the challenge for recovery, but it is not impossible. We have helped patients make very meaningful achievements, such as walking or talking, years after the date of their injury.”

Brooks and Marcantel say this is because the brain can change and adapt through the principal of neuroplasticity, and neuroplasticity does not have an expiration date.
Although every patient’s situation is different, there are some commonalities when it comes to getting started with treatment. Many patients want to walk, communicate and improve their independence to complete their daily activities.

TBI patients often experience challenges in multiple domains of their neurological functioning, and with the brain serving as the control center for nearly everything the body does, recovery from a TBI requires a comprehensive approach.

“The challenge is that with a serious TBI, we have to take a hierarchical approach accomplishing goals,” explain Brooks and Marcantel. “To use an old cliché, ‘you must crawl before you walk.’ That’s not to say we would literally make a patient practice crawling, but we might! By taking a hierarchical approach, we can ask ourselves: what is your long term goal, what are the stages we need to accomplish in order to meet that goal, and which stage do we need to address next?”

For the therapist, Brooks and Marcantel say this is very challenging, but also rewarding and an opportunity to get creative and think outside of the box.
Slow and steady wins the race is what patients can expect when it comes treatment. There are no quick fixes, according to Brooks and Marcantel.

“There are no magic solutions. If you ask Dr. Google, you may find some pretty bold claims about certain therapeutic modalities such as e-stim, cold lasers or infrared lights, and there may be situations where these can play a limited role in addressing a particular symptom. However, in order to stimulate the permanent neuroplastic changes needed to heal from this type of injury, we must incorporate therapeutic approaches designed with that end in mind.”

A TBI is life-altering for the patient, but it also takes its toll on the caregivers who stand by the patient’s side, which is why Brooks and Marcantel suggest the power of connection. “Caregiver burnout is real. Talking with someone can be helpful, and finding community can be healing.”

To learn more, visit www.hopetherapycenter.net.