Brain injuries are complex enough that medical professionals have trouble understanding them fully so it’s no question that the layperson may not fully understand them. While it’s widely known that brain injuries are some of the worst types of injuries a person can have, more and more is being understood about the specifics. Coup and contrecoup brain injuries are often caused by traumatic events that could have been prevented. Read on to learn more about them and then reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you need to a free consultation with a personal injury attorney.
A basic overview of these types of brain injuries
Any blow to the head can cause a contusion on the brain – which is essentially a fancy word for a bruise on the brain. A coup brain injury refers to an injury to the side of the head. On the other hand, a contrecoup injury refers to an injury to the brain when it hits the other side of the skull on impact. In many cases, both types of brain injuries will occur when there’s a collision or forceful blow to the skull. The most common cause of contrecoup injuries are car accidents.
There are many potential cause of contrecoup and coup brain injuries
These types of brain injuries are most commonly the result of traumatic events. Generally they involve a forceful blow to the head. For example, slips, trips, and falls, car accidents, sports injuries, assaults, truck accidents, being hit by a car as a pedestrian, bike accidents, and motorcycle accidents. If any of these incidents happen and involve a sharp blow to the head, then a coup or contrecoup injury may result.
The diagnosis of brain injuries
If it’s believed that a person has suffered any type of brain injury, then it’s essential to get them medical care as soon as possible. It’s common for the doctors to use what’s known as the Glasgow Coma Scale to determine just how severe a brain injury is. The scale goes from mild to severe. Another option is the Glasgow Outcome Scale, and sometimes the Abbreviated Injury Scale is used. Finally, imaging may be done to get a better understanding of the brain injury.
Treatment of brain injuries
There is a large range of seriousness when it comes to brain injuries, and different victims are affected differently. One person could have a mild injury with an excellent chance of full recovery, while others suffer a brain injury and never full recover. Acute care begins immediately after the injury and is focused on stabilizing the patient.
Once the patient is stable, the post-acute phase begins. This may involve inpatient rehab at the hospital or a nursing facility. At this point, the doctor will create a short-term and / or long-term rehab plan based on how serious the injury is and how the patient has responded. This is also the time at which it’s wise to contact a personal injury attorney by calling Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free case evaluation.
