If you suffer serious injuries in a car accident, some of them may heal with enough time. Compound fractures, for example, are very serious. But with proper medical treatment, bones and skin can heal, and your symptoms can slowly disappear.
However, if you suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), you may notice that some of the symptoms do not seem to go away. Maybe it has been a year since your accident. For the first six months, you felt like you were getting better and making progress. But now that progress has plateaued, and you still have long-term symptoms. Why is this more likely with a brain injury?
Brain healing is different
Essentially, your brain heals in a different way. Many parts of your body use cellular replication, meaning they can create new cells to repair damage and replace those that were lost due to the injury.
However, your brain contains neurons or nerve cells. It can only create new neurons in very specific areas, and even then, this capacity is highly limited. For the most part, a person is born with all the neurons they will ever have, and any that are lost are lost forever.
To heal, your brain looks for new connections or neural pathways. When it can find them, healing can occur. But it is not always possible to find these new connections, so some symptoms last indefinitely.
Seeking compensation
A traumatic brain injury can be a life-changing health issue. If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, be sure you know how to seek financial compensation.
