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Tips In Acquiring The Right Bike Headgear

Although most people do not really consider them as essentials as well as will certainly in fact buy them last, motorcycle helmets are one of the most crucial accessories when you have a motorcycle. In fact, state legislations have actually consisted of the use of bike headgears. This, lawmakers claim, will have the ability to stop major injuries need to crashes take place. Safety helmets protect the individual from struggling with head injuries that are possibly dangerous and also fatal. Passengers are even asked to wear safety helmets, particularly when traveling at broadband.

Below are some suggestions that will certainly aid you purchase the right bike headgear.

  1. Does it fulfill the DOT requirement?

Before buying a safety helmet, make sure that what you have actually picked meets the criteria established by the Department of Transport’s Federal Motor Vehicle Security Criterion 218. You can determine this by trying to find the sign of the DOT on the helmet.

You will certainly additionally discover a label inside the helmet that gives you with vital information about the helmet such as the producer’s name, the year as well as the month the headgear was manufactured, the model number, the size of the helmet, the products made use of for its building as well as obviously some info about the company. Make certain that both the logo and also the tag is present.

  1. Is it quality-made?

Headgears should be made from a firm polystyrene layer or Styrofoam layer that will certainly help secure your head from injury. The layer should be an inch thick as well as must consider regarding 3 pounds. It ought to be easy constructed with none of the embellishments that will only trigger injury in your head such as spikes or other sticking out designs. Chin straps with strong rivets ought to be also exist as this will certainly help maintain the helmet in place.

  1. Does it fit your style?

A helmet need not be out of style even if it is considered as a security equipment. It can likewise be an avenue where one can make a style statement. Attempt looking for terrific pictures on the external covering of the headgear. Some people also have the images tailor-made.

  1. Does it supply complete protection?

Safety helmets that safeguard the whole face will certainly serve you in excellent stead throughout collision. The plastic face guards will likewise secure you from the wind, the dust, rain, insects as well as roadway debris that are vomitted by passing cars. If you do not desire safety helmets with the guard on them, acquire a different safety glasses that will certainly aid shield your eyes. One point that you should know is that windscreens are not enough to shield you.

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Preventing Brain Injuries During Winter Sport Season

Although summer is the season best known for outdoor activities, winter is often overlooked as a season full of outdoor fun and sports. From ice skating with a group of friends at the local rink to joining the ski team at school, there are numerous activities for everyone to enjoy as the snow falls and the temperatures begin to drop. As with every sporting activity, either for fun or as part of an organized league, there is the potential to be injured.

 

Sporting injuries often include sprains, strains, and minor fractures, but some of the most serious include a life changing brain injury. Here are some ways to prevent a brain injury while enjoying some of your favorite winter sports:

Snowboarding and Skiing

 

If you’ve ever hit the slopes, you may have noticed children as young as preschool aged and even elderly adults enjoying the skiing and snowboarding. For safety reasons, ski resorts often urge novice skiers and snowboarders  to use the “beginner” hills and for many beginners, the starter hill is big enough. Although people, who are new to skiing and snowboarding, may be more likely to be injured while flying down the hill, skiers and snowboarders of all ages and expertise levels are at risk of concussions, even professionally trained skiers and snowboarders.

 

The best way to avoid a head injury is to wear a helmet. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, approximately 10 million Americans ski or snowboard each year and an estimated 600,000 injuries are a result from hitting the slopes. Of those injuries, approximately 20% are head injuries, many were reported not wearing a helmet.

Ice Hockey and Ice Skating

 

Have you ever wondered why hockey players wear a helmet and a figure skater doesn’t? While hockey players are at a much greater risk for suffering a TBI, due to the contact nature of the sport, figure skaters could be a risk of bumping his or her head with a fall during a routine. Again, the level of expertise doesn’t automatically make you immune from getting a head injury.

 

Children are at a particularly high risk for head injuries when participating in ice sports. If your child wants to get involved in winter ice sports, it’s crucial that he or she wears a helmet, particularly in the learning stages. Talk to the instructors and see what their protocol is for preventing head injuries and other types of injuries.

 

All Other Types of Winter Activities

Winter is full of fun activities from sledding, curling, snowshoeing, and walking around the neighborhood during a light snowfall. While many of these types of activities seem relatively harmless, you are still at risk of a head injury. Why? Ice is the dangerous factor in a majority of winter sport injuries. It’s often hard to see and it can be hard to recover once you start slipping. Wearing a helmet all day long is not a feasible option, but you can reduce your risk by wearing ice cleats on your boots or shoes and walk slowly, focusing on the surface on which you’re walking.

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Can Damages for Accident Injuries be Recovered If a Motorcyclist is Not Wearing a Helmet

Many motorcyclists who have been in accidents wonder how helmet wear or non-use of a helmet affects their recovery for injuries or other damages as part of a personal injury claim. The bottom line in these cases is that your individual state’s motorcycle laws play a major role in these matters. To get all of the answers you need and guidance as part of a motorcycle accident injury claim, you need to gain the consultation of a personal injury lawyer in your state, or the state where your accident occurred.

Almost all U.S. states require motorcyclists to wear helmets. Only in Illinois, New Hampshire and Iowa are there no requirements for helmet wear during motorcycle use.

Arizona Laws Regarding Helmet Wear by Motorcycle Riders

In Arizona, only riders under the age of 18 years are required by law to wear a helmet. Anyone else aged 18 or older can make their own choice regarding head protection during use of their motorcycle.

In early 2016, Arizona House Bill 2052 was an attempt by some legislators to change the law to mandatory helmet wear. That bill failed and was not passed into law. So Arizona riders can still feel the wind in their hair, as they ride without this form of protection on the state’s roadways.

While Arizona does not require adult motorcyclists to wear helmets, these laws exist in other states for the riders’ own safety. According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, of every 100 motorcycle riders not wearing a helmet who are fatally injured in an auto accident, approximately 37 of those would have survived their crash injuries if a helmet had been worn. Even more injured victims would have suffered less significant injuries if they had been wearing a helmet.

Mandatory Helmet Laws Affect Damages for Accident Injuries

If you are riding your motorcycle in a state that does have a mandatory helmet law, not wearing a helmet at the time of your accident can affect your case against the at-fault driver. In fact, it could make it very difficult to recover some forms of compensation. This is because your choice to not wear a helmet despite the law qualifies your actions as comparative fault.

Comparative fault refers to your carelessness that contributed to your own accident injuries. Because you chose to ignore the helmet law in such a state, you may not be able to recover anything for head or neck injuries. But you may still be able to recover damages for injuries on other parts of your body not typically protected by a helmet, as well as for other losses.

How States without Helmet Laws View Your Personal Injury Claim

Any personal injury claim filed after a motorcycle accident can be affected by non-use of a helmet, even in states where helmet laws do not exist. How the case is affected is reliant upon the type of damages sought for recovery. Insurance adjusters typically try to prove through documented evidence how wearing a helmet could have protected you, therefore asserting that you made a bad decision that contributed to your own injuries and reduced the defendant’s responsibility in some regards.

If injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident were not of the head and neck, helmet wear will not be a factor in your case. But if it can be shown that wearing a helmet may have saved you from your accident injuries, it may be hard to recover the full amount of the damages you seek. This is because you made the conscious decision to not wear protective head gear, knowing that a helmet could prevent injury in an accident.

If you were wearing a helmet in your accident in a “no helmet required” state, that could help your case because it reflects responsibility on your part, as a motorcycle rider. If you suffered injury to your head or neck despite wearing a helmet, your claim will certainly benefit. Showing that you tried to keep yourself safe and were not careless about that safety is a definite positive as a plaintiff. This also shows how much more serious your injuries could have been due to the negligent driver’s actions, if you did not make that responsible choice.

How to Gain the Compensation You Deserve for Arizona Motorcycle Accident Damages

If you are an Arizona motorcyclist and you were not wearing a helmet in your motorcycle accident that was someone else’s fault, you can still work to prove that your injuries would have been equally serious if you had been wearing a helmet. By having a skilled and experienced Arizona motorcycle accident and personal injury lawyer, you can recover the compensation you deserve – helmet or no helmet. For any personal injury or motor vehicle accident claim, having an experienced personal injury lawyer helps you stand up to insurance adjusters who will try to prove how their insured driver was not responsible for your injuries.

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Head Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injuries are Common Results of Motorcycle Accidents

There are many inherent risks in motorcycle riding, as anyone who owns a motorcycle knows all too well. The greatest among these risks are head injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries suffered in motorcycle accidents. Such injuries can happen regardless of helmet wear, although wearing a protective helmet can certainly help reduce the severity of outcome. Wearing a helmet can even prevent traumatic brain injury in some circumstances.

Brain injuries are unique among injuries commonly suffered by the body, in that the brain is one organ that does not heal well. Broken bones, abrasions, contusions and other injuries of these types of accidents can heal, while brain damage can seriously impact an individual’s quality of life for as long as they live. In many circumstances, motorcycle riders are at first unaware that a brain injury has even occurred.

A motorcycle brain injury can be similar to the type of head injury suffered by actress Natasha Richardson, who was believed to be fine after head trauma suffered in a skiing accident. But she had received a traumatic brain injury that worsened within hours and took her life later that same day.

Whenever you are involved in an accident, such as a motorcycle accident that causes injury, it is important that you seek the consultation of a phoenix personal injury lawyer. You need help dealing with insurance adjusters to ensure you receive the full compensation you should, as part of an accident and personal injury claim.

What Is a Brain Trauma Lawyer?

A brain trauma lawyer is a personal injury attorney who has experience in dealing with insurance claims following brain injury sustained during a motorcycle accident. When you are the victim of a motorcycle accident that is no fault of your own, any injuries you sustain – such as a head or traumatic brain injury – will cause substantial expense in regard to medical treatment costs, imaging studies, property damage, lost income, and other damages. Insurance companies often try to quickly settle these types of insurance claims for lower than the victim deserves or needs to cover the lifetime of expenses that result from such injuries. A brain trauma lawyer will help you after your motorcycle accident, to ensure you are not taken advantage of by insurance adjusters and that you gain the full amount of recovery that you need.

About Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is more common than you may realize. Such injuries common to car and motorcycle accidents, as well as sports participation, can range from mild to severe. TBIs, as they are known, cause immediate changes in everyday life for most victims. A TBI can seriously alter daily living and may result in permanent loss of functioning. A TBI is the most severe injury the brain can suffer and is often the result of a head impact. During that impact the brain actually jars, moves or twists within the protective skull.

In many ways, your brain defines who you are and charts the course of your future. When you lose functioning of one or more areas of your brain, you can suffer tragic alterations to your life. You will incur hefty medical costs, loss of wages, and possibly even long-term damages such as home health care expenses.

Traumatic brain injuries can cause any or all of the following immediate effects:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Loss of sensory perception
  • Vision changes, loss, or blurring
  • Light intolerance
  • Attention deficit
  • Concentration problems
  • Memory loss or lapses
  • Speech problems, such as slurring
  • Problems with reading, writing and other forms of communication
  • Difficulty understanding others’ speech or communications
  • Seizures or seizure disorder
  • Hearing loss or sensitivity
  • Sleep disorders, such as insomnia
  • Appetite changes
  • Paralysis
  • Emotional problems
  • Coma
  • Loss of daily or essential functioning

There are a host of issues that traumatic brain injury can cause after a motorcycle accident. Any of these changes or others after your accident qualify you for recovery of damages from the at-fault driver.

After-Effects of TBI: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

Anyone who suffers a TBI, such as in a motorcycle accident, may develop a progressive brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This disease is most well known as causing the degeneration of motor skills, communication and functioning of sports figures and athletes, such as football players and boxers. A brain autopsy after death is how the condition is most accurately diagnosed, although many people can be presumed to have the condition if they have suffered degeneration of capabilities or functioning after a TBI.

Symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy include:

  • Confusion
  • Memory problems or loss
  • Paranoia
  • Impulse control problems
  • Behavioral issues
  • Depression
  • Aggression
  • Other signs

Patients with CTE or any of these symptoms after TBI often require ongoing medical care, including treatments, diagnostic imaging studies and even long term care. Symptoms may appear quickly after a TBI or may not appear until decades later.

How a Motorcycle Accident and Brain Trauma Lawyer Can Help

An experienced brain trauma lawyer with knowledge of your state’s personal injury laws can help you recover the compensation needed for medical bills, lost income, property damage, life care expenses and other damages associated with the motorcycle accident.

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Brain Injuries, Adding Insult to Injury

It’s one of the tragedies of modern life that Keith Lamont Scott was not responsible for attracting attention to himself.  Nor were the police responsible for misunderstanding his intentions.

It takes all kinds to make a world, according to the old saying, and today – on any ordinary city street – an observer might be able to see anything from couples so in love they fall off the curb to a homeless derelict shuffling his or her way to a safe sleeping spot for the night.

In between these extremes are otherwise ordinary people who may have mental difficulties resulting from head injuries, fetal alcohol syndrome, mental or physical abuse, or simply an imbalance of brain chemicals.

What Happened

In Scott’s case, it was a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. For more general information on TBIs, please visit the Brain Injury Clubhouse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, people who incur TBIs are twice as likely to die from “unintentional injury”. This is because TBIs affect both thought and balance. People with TBIs can’t always think clearly, and this leads them into compromising situations. They also tend to lose their balance, which makes them appear to be drunk, or on drugs. In Scott’s case, his injuries were so severe he had to relearn how to walk.

TBIs contribute to about one-third of all injury deaths in the United States, and Scott was no exception. In fact, he was only one of 1.7 million people in 2015 to sustain a serious head injury. In Scott’s case, it was the result of a motorcycle accident.

His shooting, on September 20, was prompted by what police later described as disturbing, or threatening, behavior. By one report, he was rolling a marijuana cigarette and holding a gun.  The fact that he was African-American, and living in Charlotte, North Carolina, is – or should be –irrelevant. Scott’s wife disputes the report, notes that Scott was not only injured but on medication, and tended to slur his words, stagger, and behave erratically and impulsively. These are all hallmarks of a TBI and the medications given to help people living with one.

TBIs, the Worst of the Worst

The hardest part of having a TBI is trying to live in the “normal” world and act like nothing is wrong. Alzheimer’s and other dementia victims are pitied and given special consideration, but the victims of TBI are basically self-reporting. If they happen also to be black and living in a poor neighborhood, the likelihood is that they will not be believed, perhaps particularly by law enforcement.

A similar situation exists in the workplace. Most TBI victims go first to the ER, and then later to the doctor. But not all head injuries can be immediately assessed or evaluated. It may take months, in fact, to separate TBI-related effects from lack of education or opportunity, and other lifestyle situations impacting the way a person talks, acts and even dresses.

In fact, of the approximately three million TBI victims appearing in the ER each year, only 11 percent are hospitalized, and – thanks to the miracles of modern medicine – 7 percent fewer now die than a decade ago.

Who Are TBI’s Victims?

Most of the victims of traumatic brain injury are either young or old; that is, over 65. Most of the causes are falling, with accidental blunt trauma (being struck on the head) coming second, and motor vehicle crashes coming third. Most of the ER visits for head trauma were among children aged ) 0-4 years. Between the ages of 15 and 44, the most common causes of TBIs are motor vehicle accidents.

Three times as many men as women are afflicted with TBIs, and more likely to die from them simply because males are more active and aggressive.

The Legacy

“Not having an appropriate response in a stressful, chaotic event is certainly a potential effect of a TBI,” said Jeffrey Kutcher, director of the NBA’s concussion program and current owner of a sports neurology clinic in Detroit, Michigan.

According to Kutcher, who never personally treated Scott, the “zoning-out” that Scott’s friends described was likely a direct result of the TBI or the medication Scott was taking. Either way, it is sad that an innocent man died, but the only place to lay blame is on the failure of the human skull to protect against all injuries.

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TBIs, Ruling Out the Unlikely

nutrition for brain injury

Traumatic Brain Injuries, or TBIs, are head injuries caused by significant external force that lead to brain damage.

 

The keyword is ‘significant’, because while not all head injuries lead to brain damage, all brain injuries do. This is because the human skull has, over thousands of years, evolved to provide an  almost perfect protective container for the brain. When the container fails, so do the contents.

 

All TBIs are Acquired brain injuries, or ABIs. These are, by definition, injuries to the brain that cause neurological dysregulation, meaning that the brain is not functioning properly.

 

There are several kinds of ABIs, and all refer to any brain damage not present at birth. They include Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, various neurological disorders called dystonias, strokes, and brain aneurysms (burst blood vessels).

 

When diagnosing a TBI, doctors need to rule out these causes to confirm an actual brain injury. Parkinson’s can be the result of a brain injury, but is rarely the cause.

 

With a diagnosis in hand, lawyers can proceed to petition for Social Security disability for TBI victims. The process of getting disability can be long and arduous, but it is also possible to get a finding of TBI disability within 3 months post-injury, under Section 11.18.

 

As the Brain Injury Clubhouse notes, here are countless methods victims can use to achieve partial, even full, recovery.

 

Traumatic Brain Injury Causes

 

The force needed to cause a TBI causes the brain to be jostled inside the skull, usually with enough force to create shearing and tearing of the nerves in the brain.

 

These extreme forces can be incurred in an auto accident, an explosion, a fall, domestic violence or terroristic incidents (muggings, shootings, etc.), severe weather episodes like tornadoes and hurricanes, and sports injuries.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, the main causes of TBIs are:

 

  1. Falls, 28 percent
  2. Motor vehicle accidents, 20 percent
  3. Impact events (struck by or against), 19 percent
  4. Assaults, 11 percent

 

Of all these causes, sports injuries are currently receiving the most scrutiny. Most are football and soccer related, but some also involve ice hockey, wrestling, or boxing, and even horseback riding and water polo.

 

Approximately one out of every three injury-related deaths involves a TBI. More than six million Americans now live with a TBI-related disability. A TBI occurs once every 15 seconds in the United States. Experts estimate the direct and indirect medical costs of TBIs in 2014 at $75.6 billion – up $15.6 billion since 2000.

 

The Worst of the Worst

 

In spite of the fact that football is a very obvious cause of TBIs, especially among the highly vulnerable 14-24 set, it is not the most dangerous sporting activity.

 

This, in spite of the fact that the number of reported football concussions doubled in the decade from 2002 to 2012. Among high school athletes, football is  responsible for almost 50 percent of concussions, accounting for up to 7.6 percent.

 

Ice hockey and soccer take second and third place – Hockey at 5.4 percent and girl’s soccer at 3.3 percent.

 

Boy’s basketball comes in at about 2.1 percent, while cheerleading tags a surprising 1.4 percent. Football is not the worst sport in terms of brain injury.

 

In fact, generally speaking, while many so-called “collision” sports have drawn attention to the inherent risks of colliding with another human body, or the dirt, participation in these sports may also confer a host of societal benefits. Not the least of which is a sense of community and solidarity.

 

Horseback riding, or equestrianism, is the third leading cause of TBIs among young people, accounting for 33 percent. Among all ages, it is the leading cause of TBIs.

 

Active combat and military duty, in 2016, resulted in only 4,592 cases of TBI, down from 22,637 a year earlier.

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5 Online Resources for TBI Survivors

TBI

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are often terrifying, disorienting, and disruptive for their victims. After a TBI, the whole world can feel new, and not in a good way. Everyday tasks can become confusing. Reading, exercising, and even eating can leave you puzzled and irritable. If you’ve recently had a TBI, there’s a good change you feel like you could use a helping hand.

 

So where is a TBI survivor to look for guidance? Plenty of people in your life are probably already offering unsolicited advice, and much of that advice is probably second-hand information they gleaned from pamphlet at the doctor’s office. These people mean well, of course, but when you’re suffering from a TBI, you need to hear from someone who’s been there. Luckily, many TBI survivors and medical professionals provide good resources for the TBI-stricken person.

Faces of TBI

Faces of TBI is an online resource aiming to bring information and inspiration to people with TBIs. Its founder, Amy Zellmer, has written several good blogs about TBIs (and many other topics) for Huffington Post over the years. She knows what she’s talking about, being a survivor herself. On Faces of TBI’s site, Zellmer offers blogs, a podcast, a book, and other resources for people living with TBIs and everyone interested in learning more.

Social Media

Sometimes, all you need to chat or just listen to someone who’s going through the same thing as you. Social media offers many spots where people with TBIs can log in and trade stories, write posts, and stay in contact with sympathetic voices. Facebook, Tumblr, and many online messageboards all have support communities. Seek them out in order to communicate with people in your situation. Sometimes just expressing your feelings is the best path to healing.

Brainline.org

Brainline offers blog, primers, and other media with advice about life, science, news, and other topics of interest to anyone with or who is interested in TBIs. Their site also offers high quality accessibility features such as easily resizable text, text-only versions, and a Spanish language version. They also have a free newsletter and a variety of social media outreach programs. Bookmark Brainline if you’re looking for high-quality content relevant to anyone whose life is affected by a TBI.   

The Brain Injury Association of America

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is a long-running group that offers information and advocacy for people with TBIs. Their site offers advice to people to help them find work, advocate for themselves politically, and connect with other people in similar situations.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Looking to dig into science and medical research? Here you go. This extensive resource is part of the National Institute of Health, and it offers loads of hard scientific information and analysis about TBIs (as well as other medical conditions). Keep in mind that the information on this site might require medical training, or at least a good deal of patience and effort. But if you’re looking for reliable research into TBIs, this is a solid place to find it.

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Does a Language Barrier Prevent Proper Care for Brain Injuries?

language barrier

When you or someone you love suffers from a traumatic brain injury, it can be a scary experience that can often become complicated and difficult to understand. Now imagine if your native language prevents you from understanding or receiving the care you or your loved one needs to recover from a life changing injury? A new study out of the University of Washington reveals that children from families, where English is not their first language or have a limited understanding of English, are less likely to get the important rehabilitative care they need after suffering from a TBI.

 

The Study

The University of Washington conducted a study, surveying almost 300 various health care providers, throughout the state of Washington, who specialize in physical/occupational therapy, speech, language, cognitive therapy, and mental health services; all of these services are important for brain injury rehabilitation. Research results revealed that less than 20% of health care providers provide language interpretation to non-English speaking children, who have suffered a TBI, and their families and only 8% provide mental health services to children with a TBI. Additionally, only 46% of providers accepted children with Medicaid, which resulted in fewer rehabilitation services than patients who are covered by private insurance.

Sadly, due to the language barrier and the inability to receive private insurance, many children who suffer brain injuries may never receive proper and crucial care they need, particularly when their brains are still developing.

 

Children and Brain Injuries

Children ages 0 to 4 and 15 to 19 are at greatest risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury and youth brain injuries are much different than those of adults. It is often assumed that children “bounce back” faster from a brain injury or are not affected as severely as an adult, however, a child’s brain injury is often more devastating to a developing brain. Additionally, certain impairments, such as cognitive, may not be easily identified or even present immediately after a TBI occurs. As a result, many children suffer from delayed effects and face challenges for a lifetime, requiring long term rehabilitative care. Children may also have a difficult time expressing how he or she feels or accurately describe any challenges he or she may be having with judgement, reasoning, or processing information.

Now, consider a child (and his or her parents), who does not speak the same language as his or her doctor. Not only is there the possibility of a delay in getting immediate treatment, but he or she may continue to struggle as he or she gets older, particularly if crucial services are not available.

 

Bridging the Gap

Although it may be baffling as to why children, regardless of their economic status or language, are not receiving the care they need, a solution needs to bridge the gap in adequate health care. Since a significant amount of care that a child may need after a brain injury happens outside of the hospital, medical health care professionals are responsible in helping families make the right connections in their community, regardless of their financial status or first language.

 

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Preventing Brain Injuries During Summer Activities

summer safety

Summer is the quintessential season for heading outdoors, soaking up the sun and fresh air, and getting active. While children are typically more active than adults during the summer season, both children and adults are at risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury while engaging in a summer activity. Here are some tips for preventing a brain injury during your favorite summer activities:

Swimming & Water Sports

 

Summer wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the beach or pool and it’s a great way to cool off and relax at the peak of summer, but it’s also a potentially dangerous season for brain and head injuries. According to the most recent data available on brain or head injuries released from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 28,716 head injuries occurred in 2009 during a water sport (diving, scuba diving, surfing, swimming, water polo, water skiing, and water tubing. One of the best ways to avoid a head injury while participating in a water sport is to be careful and responsible about diving. Here are some tips to avoid an injury while diving:

 

  • Always enter the water feet first.
  • Never dive into the shallow end of a pool or before checking for objects beneath the water’s surface.
  • Avoid alcohol when you’re participating in any water sport.
  • Know how to avoid and get out of a rip current.

 

Experts also recommend that individuals wear a safety helmet when wakeboarding, kayaking, or when river rafting.

Bicycling, Skating, & Skateboarding

 

According to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine, safety helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88%. Both children and adults should wear a helmet when participating in any wheeled sports like bicycling, in-line/roller skating, scootering and skateboarding. Even the most skilled and experienced individuals are at risk for falling and hitting his or her head on or against a hard surface or be struck by a car.

 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that each year about 2% of motor vehicle crash deaths are bicyclists and head/brain injuries were responsible for the majority of deaths. The best way to avoid a serious brain injury while riding a bicycle is to simply wear a bicycle helmet, regardless if you’re just riding around your neighborhood, on a trail free from motorists, or on the roadways. There are no federal laws in the U.S. requiring the use of bicycle helmets, but in 22 states, bicycle helmets are required for most individuals under the age of 16. Law or not, always encourage your child to wear a helmet and be a good (and safe) role model by wearing one yourself.

Motorcycles

 

Just like bicycling, motorcyclists are at risk of suffering head and brain injuries when involved in an accident. Currently, only 19 states require that motorcyclists wear a helmet, but all motorcyclists and their passengers should wear a helmet, law or not. Motorcyclists that wear a helmet have up to a 73% lower fatality rate than unhelmeted riders. Additionally, unhelmeted motorcyclists are over three times as likely to suffer a brain injury than those who were a helmet.

 

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Nutrition Helping Brain Injuries

nutrition for brain injury

An injury to your body can be extremely debilitating. It can inhibit normal functions like driving, picking up objects off the floor, getting out of bed in the morning, and even brushing your teeth. Injuries are frustrating as they are painful and interrupt your life. The most difficult injury one might face is an injury to the head that can severely affect the mind. In some cases one can develop memory loss, severe headaches, vocal challenges, and bodily functions. Some people; unfortunately, never fully recover.

 

According to the Institute of Medicine, someone suffers a traumatic brain injury every 23 seconds. Brain injuries are common among athletes, those in vehicle accidents, and service members. Leaving an injury untreated can lead to paralysis and death.  Studies have shown that nutrition can also help in the healing process. Eating the right foods can help stimulate brain activity and soothe traumatized areas. Nutrition is the key to restoring normalcy to the brain and body. Yet the amount of food intake should be modified and measured in the very beginning as the patient is in a very delicate state.

 

Nutrition Options for rehabilitation:

 

Eating healthy is known to be part of the healing process for brain injury victims. One of the richest foods that a person with a brain injury can consume is omega-3 fatty acids. According to studies, most Americans are deficient in omega-3, and are said to have deficiencies associated with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. Omega-3 fatty acids make up part of brain cells and are contained in like flaxseed, fish oil, fish and walnuts. These ingredients are essentially brain food and are essential in helping rehabilitate trauma caused by brain injuries.

 

Eating foods high in protein help in the healing process. Proteins like fish, beans and chicken contain amino acids that also help repair damaged tissues in the body. Other foods vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are also healthy options. Eggs and peanuts are also necessary for the brain’s healing as they contain a vitamin called choline. And finally, you can never go wrong with water. Water is perhaps the most crucial for people living with brain injuries. Since dehydration impairs brain function, it is invaluable that someone with a brain injury drink water. It is best to consult one’s physician for recommended dosage.

 

Some Practical Ways to Help Heal:

 

Food to avoid during healing. Caffeine, salty foods, excessive sweets and candy, alcohol are among the things to avoid if you’re recovering from a brain injury.

 

Exercise. Never underestimate the importance of exercise. Brain injury victims who exercise during recovery are said to experience less depression, have fewer cognitive complaints and symptoms, and irritability. It is important to consult with a physician as over-exerting yourself may regress the healing process.

 

Acupuncture. Acupuncture is said to help soothe brain injury as it alleviates headaches, helps with sleep, and helps with overall wellness.   .

 

Taking pain medicine is also helpful during recovery and under the observation of a physician,  as it can help soothe pain and trauma. Patients should consider numerous avenues during the healing process, including therapy with a counselor, and physical therapy. Sensitive and intensive care is important during recovery.

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