FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 23 2016) -- Approximately 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and recreation, and non-recreational concussions occur in the United States each year. Although the vast majority recover quickly and completely, approximately 125,000 remain with some level of permanent disability.
This is a problem that affects all ages. The military population has a much higher incidence of this disorder due to the nature of its service members' mission: training for real-life battles and sustaining injuries on the battle field. In addition to the active duty service member, spouses and children are at risk as well. One of the more common and recently recognized areas is that of organized sports, particularly in the middle and high school age groups. Women and girls are as likely as men and boys to sustain a brain injury playing sports. Traumatic Brain Injury commonly occurs as the result of motor vehicle accidents and falls and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. In addition 80 percent of all Traumatic Brain Injuries occur in garrison for the active duty Soldier. Traumatic Brain Injury does not solely occur on the battlefield and can happen to anyone.
Traumatic Brain Injury is classified in three major categories: Severe (penetrating head trauma), moderate and much more common, mild, are seen in the vast majority of cases. Traumatic brain injuries cause a disruption of brain function by disrupting the "communication" pathways in the brain, causing challenges with memory, attention, recurring headaches, anxiety, irritability, balance problems, difficulty with sleep, fatigue and difficulty with speech. It is these "cognitive" skills that are most affected and the hallmark of Traumatic Brain Injury. Symptoms include difficulty functioning, forgetting appointments, misplacing things like keys and purses, and inability to remember conversations and simple tasks. It can be extremely frustrating and often causes increased anxiety. In fact, there is a higher incidence of Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in this population and this is especially true for the active duty Soldier.
Treating the patient with Traumatic Brain Injury can be challenging, complicated and long. Many times the treatment plan includes multiple disciplines such as Neurology, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Neuropsychology, Physical Therapy, Psychiatry and Psychological Counseling and requires ongoing assessments to manage treatment. Every patient presents with a different and unique set of problems and challenges, which have as much of an impact on the caregiver as the patient themself.
The Martin Army Community Hospital's Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic is a referral clinic and is equipped to provide comprehensive care for active duty service members with mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury. Specialty care is provided in the clinic along with referral as needed to select services at MACH and through the treatment network. Trained nurse case managers provide comprehensive oversight of all clinic patients to ensure a seamless continuity and quality of care. Education is also one of the goals of this MEDCOM-supported clinic and the clinic staff assists with the training of all new First Sergeants and Commanders during pre-command training. Education on recognizing TBI symptoms, treatment and most importantly, prevention, are the goals of our service.
In support of TBI Awareness month, the TBI Clinic at Martin Army Community Hospital will have an open house Friday, March 6th, from 1200-1600. Please feel free to stop by, we are located on the ground floor of the Oak Ridge clinic.
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