A mild brain injury can occur many ways, from car accidents to simple work accidents that involve a blow to the head. These injuries are often tough to identify and diagnose, and may seem insignificant because they do not present visible symptoms. They are, however, serious injuries that may end a victim’s career in short order if he or she does not properly address the matter.
A mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is especially concerning for those who work in professional settings or must perform detailed tasks in their job, such as factory workers or medical care providers. Mild TBIs affect each victim differently, but some of the most common symptoms make it very difficult to remain focused and communicate clearly, jeopardizing the employment of the victim if his or her employer and colleagues do not know about the injury and understand its effects.
If you or someone you love suffered a mild TBI, it is important to seek professional medical care as soon as you possibly can, to both treat and professionally diagnose you. These injuries may take up to a year to heal, and by that time, your career may go up in flames.
Changes in cognitive ability
Mild TBIs may produce a number of symptoms, but some of the most destructive are losses in focus and cognitive ability. Simply put, victims often find that they cannot perform tasks or routines that were fairly simple to complete prior to the injury. This may be anything from compiling data into spreadsheets, preparing charts for a patient or performing a sequence in a factory.
The injury often severs some of the connections in the victim’s brain, making it difficult tot access certain types of knowledge or experience. Over time, this injury fades, but it may take months or up to a year for the victim to get back to one’s pre-injury ability.
In addition, these injuries often cause the victim to respond harshly to his or her frustrations in the workplace and elsewhere, often well beyond the victim’s control. To those who do not understand the nature of the victim’s injury, it may look as though the victim is acting childishly and throwing a tantrum or losing composure in the face of the frustration. It is easy to see how this may put the victim on thin ice with an employer.
Communication difficulties
Mild TBIs also commonly affect victims understanding of the things they read or hear spoken to them. Often, victims do not realize this is happening because they still understand the individual meanings of words, but lose their ability to contextually interpret what the writer or speaker really means.
Especially in the professional world, this can create chaos and immense frustration if the miscommunications are severe enough.
A mild TBI is not a matter to take lightly. Be sure to seek all the medical care necessary to address the injury. Also, consider any grounds you may have to file a personal injury lawsuit or workers’ compensation claim to protect your rights, cover your expenses and ease your transition back into the workplace.
