Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have varying levels of severity. A concussion is a TBI, even though many people will feel fine after a few days or a week. However very severe TBIs can lead to the loss of important functions such as motor skills, critical thinking skills, the ability to speak and much more.

Prompt medical treatment is important to the eventual healing of a TBI. Many patients also go through rehabilitation to help the brain heal. However, this healing does not always go as smoothly as people hope and may never be complete. Some of the skills and abilities that were lost may not return.

Seeking neural pathways

For the most part, people are born with all of the brain cells that they will ever have, and the brain simply develops as they age. It does not create new tissue the way that your skin and bones do.

After an injury, then, if any of these neural cells have been damaged or killed, the brain cannot just replace them. It has to look for new neural pathways. These are alternative paths where electrical impulses can move within the brain. When these pathways are found, healing takes place, but there’s no guarantee that the brain will always find the pathways that it needs, meaning that healing can stall out or stop entirely.

A significant TBI can have a lifelong impact. Those who have been injured need to understand all of the options they have to seek financial compensation.