Brain injury patients can have motor deficits even after recovery is apparentRSS Feed

20 January 2010

Traumatic brain injury patients that have regained the ability to walk at a normal speed do not necessarily have all of their locomotor functions, according to a recent study.

In the study, published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the mobility of people who had suffered traumatic brain injuries was compared to subjects that had no neurological problems.

Both groups had to walk across a clear floor and then an obstacle course with visual and auditory distractions.

The two groups showed similar walking abilities when walking across the clear floor but the group of patients with brain injuries walked more slowly and their response times were more delayed than the other group when they were walking across the obstacle-filled course.

"Our results suggest that even if victims of moderate or severe traumatic brain injury appear to have generally recovered their locomotor abilities, deficits can persist," said professor Bradford McFadyen, who supervised the study.

He is now beginning the development process of a simple clinical locomotor test that would allow healthcare workers to better assess whether traumatic brain injury patients are ready to return to their regular activities.

Many brain injuries occur during motorcycle accidents, but a UK company has developed a cooling helmet, called ThermaHelm, which reduces brain swelling and the chances of permanent damage.

News from Serious Law, specialist brain injury solicitors ADNFCR-2547-ID-19566811-ADNFCR