TBI Tag Archives — San Diego Injury Law Blog

February 3, 2023

New Study Says Three Concussions Likely Will Result in Serious Brain Damage

Have you or someone you love sustained a concussion in a motor vehicle collision in Rancho Bernardo or another type of accident in Southern California? Whether you or a loved one recently sustained a concussion in an accident for the first time or now suffered a subsequent concussion, you may wonder: how many concussions are too many before I experience long-term damage? To be clear, even a single concussion can have long-term consequences, and you should certainly speak with a Rancho Bernardo brain injury attorney if you have suffered a concussion in an incident resulting from another party’s negligence or intentional act.

Multiple concussions tend to put a person at greater risk for serious brain damage and neurological issues in the future. A new study suggests that “three concussions seems to be a turning point for brain issues, and further injury worsens symptoms.”

Our Southern California injury lawyers want to discuss the study and its potential implications for people who have sustained concussions and other forms of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

August 5, 2022

Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Encinitas

by Walton Law Firm

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in Encinitas have a wide range of causes, and in many head trauma cases, another party may be liable. Brain injuries can vary widely in terms of their severity, with some patients recovering relatively quickly from TBIs and others requiring years of recovery. Under certain circumstances, a person who sustains a TBI may not recover fully, even with proper medical care and rehabilitation therapy. As the Mayo Clinic explains, brain injury symptoms will depend upon whether you have suffered a minor, moderate, or severe TBI, and the severity of the injury will also play a key role in determining available treatments. Throughout the recovery process, it is important to remember that you may be able to hold the at-fault party accountable for your brain injury.

How do brain injuries happen and who may be liable? Consider the following common causes cited by the Mayo Clinic.

Motor Vehicle Collisions

June 10, 2021

New California Brain Injury Research Focuses on Moderate Concussions

by Walton Law Firm

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in Encinitas, from mild TBIs like concussions to severe head trauma, can result in life-long disabilities and other limitations. According to a recent study at the University of California, Riverside, researchers have begun an initiative to focus on moderate concussions in order to gain a better understanding of the long-term effects of more serious concussions and the ways in which those brain injuries can result in other debilitating conditions. The results of the study may be able to help athletes who suffer repeat concussions, as well as other people who sustain moderate concussions in motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, and recreational activities.

Learning More About the UC Riverside Concussion Research

The new study, which will be based in a UC Riverside lab, will happen through a five-year renewable grant of more than $2.3 million, according to a UC Riverside press release. According to Viji Santhakumar, an associate professor of molecular, cell and systems biology who is leading the study, “we expect this research project will provide fundamental insights into how memory deficits and epilepsy develop after brain injury.” Santhakumar further explains how the research will “help us identify potential early therapies to prevent the development of epilepsy as well as memory and cognitive issues after brain injury.”

December 27, 2019

New Study Addresses Traumatic Brain Injury Patterns in Boxers and MMA Fighters

by Walton Law Firm

Whether you recently suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Poway or elsewhere in Southern California, you should learn about a recent study that identifies potential biomarkers for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to an article in MedPage Today discussing the study, researchers have determined that brain region volume may help us to better understand CTE and ways that repeated concussions can result in degenerative brain conditions. The new study specifically assessed boxers and MMA fighters who showed “distinct brain injury patterns.” We will tell you more about the recent study and what its implications could be for future CTE studies and brain injury claims.

Tracking Brain Injury in Athletes and Other People with Repetitive Head Impacts

Many recent studies surrounding TBIs and other serious brain injuries differentiate between one-time head trauma and repeated head injuries, such as multiple concussions. The recent study specifically assessed repetitive head impacts, or RHI, among professional fighters. That study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Charles Bernick of the Cleveland Clinic. According to the article, Bernick’s research showed that “active professional fighters showed different patterns of brain volume loss than fighters who have retired from the ring,” and “these differences may lead to biomarkers to track changes in people with repetitive head impacts.”

September 20, 2019

Domestic Violence and Concussions in San Clemente

by Walton Law Firm

A large majority of discussions about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the last decade have focused on sports-related concussions and head trauma sustained by active-duty service members. In particular, a substantial portion of TBI research has focused on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among NFL football players and others involved in contact sports. In relation to studies concerning professional athletes, much research also has identified the risks of sports-related concussions among youth athletes.

Yet few studies have considered the rate and effects of concussions sustained by women who are involved in “intimate partner violence,” according to a recent article in The New York Times. In response to that research shortage, Dr. Eve Valera has begun to analyze concussions among women who have sustained head injuries inflicted by domestic partners.

Limited Studies on Brain Trauma, Women, and Domestic Violence

March 21, 2019

E-Scooters Cause Brain Injuries and Broken Bones in and Around San Diego

by Walton Law Firm

Whether you live in San Marcos or elsewhere in the San Diego County area, it is important to know about electric scooters and the personal injury risks they pose. According to a recent news release from the University of California, new research suggests that e-scooters are tied to high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken bones, and dislocated joints. Those who sustain these types of injuries on e-scooters require medical attention, and some seemingly less serious injuries also require riders to seek treatment in an emergency department.

Why are e-scooters dangerous, and how should residents around San Diego County respond?

New Study Ties Electric Scooters to Serious Personal Injuries

March 8, 2019

More Concussions in Poway Soccer Players

by Walton Law Firm

More research funds are going toward sports-related concussion studies and concussion risks for youth athletes. We often think about football and other contact sports when we consider traumatic brain injury (TBI) risks, yet many different sports and recreational activities can put young athletes at serious risk of sustaining a concussion.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University found that concussions are more common than we previously thought among female soccer players. Nearly 30% of all soccer injuries are concussions. To put that number in perspective, about 24% of all football injuries are concussions. To put that another way, more girls suffer sports-related concussions playing soccer in high school than do boys who play football.

Girls Soccer Players Suffer Head Injuries More Often Than Boys Soccer Players

February 20, 2019

Athletes in Escondido May Have Brain Injuries Without Obvious Symptoms

by Walton Law Firm

Sports-related concussions and other types of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) caused by contact sports have received significant attention in the last decade after numerous athletes showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In response to the high rate of brain trauma among youth athletes and professional athletes in contact sports in particular, researchers began engaging in in-depth studies surrounding football and head injuries. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Michigan, high school football players may have concussion biomarkers after taking a hit to the head without showing obvious symptoms.

This new research could help to prevent additional injuries among high school athletes, and it could ensure that youth football players receive the medical treatment and rest they need after suffering a mild TBI, even if they are not showing symptoms of a concussion.

Symptoms of Concussions May Not be Enough to Assess Likelihood of a TBI

November 30, 2018

Many San Clemente Concussion Patients Not Receiving Proper Care

by Walton Law Firm

If you or someone you love recent sustained a jolt to the head that led you to have concerns about a concussion or a more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), you may have visited a hospital in Southern California. This is a good start, yet visiting a doctor just once over a suspected concussion may be insufficient. While many concussions go untreated in general—meaning that the injury victim never seeks a medical assessment or medical treatment for the head wound—there is a new problem involving a lack of follow-up care. According to a recent news release from the University of Southern California, “most concussion patients get no care after leaving [the] hospital.”

What does this mean in practice? In short, more than 50% of people who suffer concussions fail to seek the follow-up care they need in order to recover from the injury.

Patients Risk Adverse Effects by Avoiding Follow-Up Treatment After a TBI

October 5, 2018

Concussions May Lead to Parkinson’s Disease

by Walton Law Firm

If you or someone you love suffers a concussion in San Marcos, it is important to know how that traumatic brain injury (TBI) could have effects years later. Much of the current news about head trauma and long-term effects concerns chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain that researchers believe results from multiple bumps or blows to the head. CTE is not the only possible long-term effect of sustaining a single—or multiple—concussions when you are younger. According to a recent article in Popular Science, a new study published in Neurology suggests that a single concussion “can significantly increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.”

Even a Single, Mild Brain Injury can Have Effects Decades Later

The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Their research indicates that the amount of a person’s increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease after sustaining a mild TBI is “contingent on how severe the brain injury was, but even a mild brain injury raised the likelihood of Parkinson’s by as much as 56%.” Some of the most common mild traumatic brain injuries are concussions. To clarify, if you sustain a single concussion in your lifetime, your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease could increase by up to 56% in comparison with a person who has never sustained a concussion or another TBI.