Healing the Brain and Body: Traumatic Brain Injury Rehab

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) aren’t just a risk for athletes in contact sports – they can happen from everyday accidents and falls.

It can be hard to know when to see a doctor, but untreated TBIs can impact your quality of life, and even be life threatening. Knowing the signs and getting care quickly can make a big difference.

With the right treatment, recovery is possible. AHN’s Allegheny Valley Hospital (AVH) offers comprehensive TBI rehabilitation to help you heal and regain strength.

Common causes of TBIs

TBIs can range from concussions brought on by everyday falls, to brain bleeds after a skull fracture. Some of the most common causes of TBIs are:

• Car accidents.
• Worksite falls.
• Physical attacks.
• Sports-related injuries.
• Accidents around the home, like falling down the stairs.
• Aneurysms, tumors, and other health issues that require brain surgery.

Know the signs of TBIs

TBI symptoms aren’t always obvious. You may not even realize you need medical care. That’s why it’s important to look out for the signs – even subtle ones.

If a person is showing any of these symptoms after a head injury, get them to the hospital right away:

• Feeling sleepy.
• Acting differently than usual.
• Struggling to answer questions.
• Repeating themselves.
• Stumbling or losing balance.
• Headache or migraine.
• Blurry vision or trouble seeing.
• Seizures.

A common instinct is to “sleep off” these symptoms, but that can be dangerous. Quick treatment can help prevent long-term damage.

A team approach to rehab

TBIs can make it hard to move, walk, balance, or even speak like you used to. It can also cause damage to other parts of your body, like the arms, legs, or spine.

Within days of being admitted to AVH, you or your loved one will get a full evaluation by our brain injury-certified team. This helps us create an inpatient rehab plan based on your unique needs, including working with specialty doctors for full-body recovery.

A TBI therapy plan at AVH may include:

• Physical therapy – Helps strengthen muscles and improve balance and coordination. AVH physical therapists use advanced tools like virtual reality to help with recovery.
• Occupational therapy – Everyday tasks like bathing, getting dressed, and brushing teeth may be harder after a TBI. We help you regain control over your daily activities and slowly work up to harder tasks.
• Speech therapy – Our therapists will help you re-learn communication skills that may have been affected by a TBI, including speaking and understanding language.
• Neuropsychology – This refers to how the brain works in making decisions, solving problems, recalling memories, and managing thoughts and emotions. Therapists guide patients through “brain exercises” to help with healing.

When you’re ready to leave inpatient care

Our goal is to get you back home feeling confident and supported.

Most patients stay in AVH’s TBI therapy for two to three weeks before moving to outpatient care. But the support doesn’t end there. Before you leave, we make sure your home is safe and supportive for recovery. This may include:

• Addressing physical obstacles like stairs or lack of elevators.
• Ensuring you have emotional and caregiver support at home.

With you the whole way

AVH can support you and your loved ones through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Learn more about how our expert team at AVH helps heal brains and bodies through TBI rehab.