Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Cunningham | 210311-N-LW757-1194 SAN DIEGO (Mar. 11, 2021) A detailed photo of a patient...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) recognizes Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Month throughout March.
TBI is classified as any impact or puncture to the head that causes a loss or alteration of consciousness.
"TBI is an intimidating term for a fairly common condition," said Lt. Tara Haugen, an occupational therapist assigned to NMCSD's TBI Clinic. "TBI ranges in severity. It can be caused by everyday occurrences such as bumping your head, playing sports and motor vehicle accidents."
Service members may experience a TBI from a number of unique causes, such as blast exposure, strenuous training environments or other duty-related incidents.
TBI cases are rated from mild, moderate to severe. A TBI's rating is determined by the amount of time a person is unconscious, and what they can remember from the event.
"A mild case may be as small as hitting your head, seeing stars and moving on with your day," said Haugen. "A more severe case may cause a patient to be hospitalized in a coma for several days."
Symptoms of a TBI can include memory loss, attention issues, headaches, dizziness, or tinnitus, as well as secondary emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability or decreased interest in social participation.
"Primary symptoms can lead to secondary symptoms, which can push patients into a vicious cycle," said Haugen. "That's why we have TBI programs to get patients out of that cycle, and reintegrate them into normal life."
NMCSD, in association with the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE) , offers a robust TBI program.
When a patient is referred to NMCSD's TBI Clinic, a nurse practitioner conducts an initial intake to better understand the patient's background and TBI history. Afterwards, patients may receive helpful medication, and a referral to a specialist in speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, neuropsychology, optometry and audiology.
NMCSD also offers other services to help patients cope with a TBI outside of traditional, medicinal practices. Its services include sleep classes to help patients who are having trouble sleeping, and group therapy sessions to help bring a more holistic approach to dealing with the anxiety of reintegrating back into normal life.
During the intake process, patients with a TBI are asked to prioritize their roles in life.
"I get to learn about the person as an individual," said Haugen. "Getting to learn each individual's story and how resilient people are is empowering."
Patients who go through the clinic are put through a variety of physical and cognitive challenges that help improve symptoms of TBI.
"It's helped me out a lot in life," said Mikhail Lugg, one of NMCSD's TBI Clinic patients. "I have three little girls. This clinic helped me so I could build a bike and dollhouse for them."
According to the TBICoE, more than 430,000 cases of TBI were reported between 2000 and 2020.
Whether a person with a TBI was involved in an accident, a sports injury or suffered trauma during wartime, they are faced with an invisible scar. NMCSD's TBI Clinic responds to those in need when the wound cannot be seen.
NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2021 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 391282 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 168 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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