Traumatic Brain Injuries/Concussions
TBI Recovery and Brain Health
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), concussions, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, falls can have devastating effects on your health. Neurons in your brain process information and share this information with other neurons with long tail extensions called axons. During a TBI the brain can move rapidly and shear or tear these axons. When this happens cells can die and cut off communication pathways. These shearing forces can also damage the 1 cell thick barrier that protects the brain. If the Blood-Brain barrier is breached, infections, viruses and toxins can enter the brain and cause ill-health and cognitive decline.
TBI’s can affect how you sleep, act, feel think and remember. Some symptoms like Ha’s, dizziness and vision problems may appear right after the injury. Other symptoms may appear weeks later like inability to sleep, memory problems, irritability and difficulty concentrating. Repeated episodes of concussion can develop Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy which can develop years to decades after the last trauma took place. Memory loss, confusion, impulse control and depression are just some of the symptoms of CTE as the result of neurodegeneration. Also, since your brain is the most nutrient and energy dependent organ of your body, mitochondrial dysfunction can contribute to your improper brain function.
Fortunately, your brain has neuroplasticity. This means your brain can change and adapt for the better. Neurons require fuel and activation to get better. It can be trained to function better when you know what part of the brain is not firing the way it should. Then you give that part of your brain the correct stimulation and fuel it needs.
You need to know what parts of the brain are not functioning at their optimum level. Dr. Lynch will test the different parts of the brain with balance, eye alignment-movement and tracking, cranial nerves, sensory function and motor function. This evaluation will also include reflex testing, gait analysis, posture analysis and other functional tests.
Different therapies will be recommended to stimulate the targeted areas of your brain that were found to need help during your diagnostic testing. Some of these therapies may include:
- Light, Color and Sound
- Eye Movements Exercises
- Vertigo Treatments
- Targeted Nutritional Supplementation
- Breathing Exercises
- Heat, Water and Electric Stimulation
- Non-invasive Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation
- Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation
- Movement Training
- Balance Therapy and Fall Prevention
- Motor Rehabilitation Techniques: Timing, Speed, Coordination
- Vestibular Rehabilitation
- Hand-Eye Coordination Drills
FX 405 Low Level Laser will be key to providing the fuel your brain needs to improve. Low Level Laser decreases inflammation, increases mitochondria function and increases blood flow. Activating areas of the brain will encourage new synapses to form and improve cellular communications.
Your Central Nervous System has specialized areas for specific function:
- The Parietal Lobe’s purpose is sensation. All the receptors in your body feed into this are to make us aware of how we feel. Parietal Lobe problems may include pain syndromes, numbness, and poor directional sense.
- The Temporal Lobe is for hearing, tasting, smelling and memory. Temporal Lobe problems may include poor memory, and hearing and smelling things others don’t.
- The Occipital Lobe is for vision.
- Our Frontal Lobe is for cognition, reasoning, control of emotions, memory recall and posture. Frontal Lobe problems may include personality changes and poor concentration.
- The Brainstem is a specialized extension of the spinal cord that unconsciously controls the vitals. Your Brainstem controls your heart-rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, autonomic sympathetic and parasympathetic balance.
- Your Cerebellum is involved in movement, coordination and learning. If your Cerebellum has decreased function you often have poor posture, poor balance, are clumsy and are prone to neck and back pain
Brain function can be impacted by inflammation, leaky blood brain barriers, infections, toxins, decrease in available oxygen and nutrients as well as low levels of glucose.
You can make positive changes. Call (434) 245-8456 to schedule your examination and start enhancing your over-all brain health.
