Undiagnosed Brain Injuries - the Long Term Effects

Even apparently minor trauma to the head can lead to brain injury that can have a profound and debilitating affect on people?s lives. Mild head trauma can leave the victim outwardly unaffected, often brain injury goes unnoticed, and in many cases this can mean that brain injury is either misdiagnosed or left untreated. Analysing brain function is a complex process and it can be difficult to ascertain the long-term effects of head injury in the immediate aftermath of an accident, especially when there appear to be no obvious short-term affects on the victim?s health.

Brain injuries are usually categorised as mild, moderate or severe with the diagnosis depending on various factors including whether you lost consciousness, whether you lost your memory or whether there was any noticeable neurological damage such as loss of motor co-ordination, loss of sensory perception or affected speech. While both moderate and severe brain injury are usually accompanied with attendant symptoms evident in the immediate aftermath of a head trauma, mild brain injury can be more insidious and difficult to diagnose.

Unfortunately untreated brain injuries can lead to long-term or lasting effects on the physical, mental or emotional well being of the victim. One of the major problems with diagnosis is that symptoms may appear totally unrelated to the initial injury. For example, physical effects of brain injury can manifest in a huge variety of ways including stiffness in muscles, muscle weakness, dizziness or difficulty with balance, clumsiness, migraines or headaches, tiredness and fatigue right through to more dramatic symptoms such as seizures, loss of sight or hearing, loss of speech, stuttering and falling over.

Mental problems, or cognitive deficits, could also appear, lasting for short or long periods of time. You may begin to forget things or become confused in what used to be common places or situations. Your attention could become difficult or you could begin to process information a lot slower than you used too. Sometimes people lose the ability to read or write as the brain coordinates neuro motor activities, such as hand/eye coordination, and the relation between seen objects and making sense of those objects.

Emotional difficulties can also occur and these are perhaps some of the most complex long-term effects of untreated brain injures. It is often difficult to determine whether the fact that someone once calm and peaceful, is now irritable and tense, is due to the head accident they suffered.

There could possibly be mood swings, you may find yourself laughing or crying at strange and unusual things. Someone with an untreated injury causing emotional problems may even begin to act inappropriately in social situations.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the long-term affects of head injury can cause serious impact on the victim?s life, and can lead to loss of earnings and the need for medical care. If the head injury was caused through no fault of your own then you may be able to make a claim for damages. Brain injury is a complex area and can have wide-reaching affects on a person?s life, therefore it is advisable to talk to a specialist brain injury lawyer who can guide you through the complexities of making a claim.