If you break your ankle, the doctor can generally give you a timeframe for when it should be healed. Every injury is unique, and there can be complications, but the doctor can tell you about an expected timeframe. Generally, people with these types of injuries do anticipate almost full healing. It just takes time, but they’re always getting better.
But if you injure your brain, things may go much differently. The brain often does not heal, and it may even get worse. Why is this?
1. Creating new brain cells
To start with, the brain is very limited in some ways. It cannot create most of the neurons that a person is born with.
So if a brain injury is extensive and brain cells or neurons have been lost, the brain can’t just create replacements. Your skin can, as can other parts of your body. But since the brain cannot, it is left seeking new neural pathways to transmit messages. This is not always an effective manner of healing, because these new neural pathways may not be established.
2. Additional complications
On top of that, brain injuries sometimes get worse because of other complications, such as bleeding in or around the brain. This bleeding puts more pressure on the brain over time, leading to significant damage. In fact, if some brain injuries aren’t treated quickly, they could even become fatal.
Seeking compensation
Have you suffered a brain injury due to someone else’s negligence? If so, you may be able to seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages and more. You simply need to know what legal steps to take.