Learning to Walk Again After a Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can change your life. Although some TBIs are fairly minor and only result in short-term symptoms like confusion, nausea, forgetfulness, and fatigue, some TBIs have long-term or even permanent consequences. For example, a TBI can result in paralysis or a coma. In some cases, a TBI can result in death.

The primary motor cortex is the area of the brain that controls motor function, including walking. When an individual suffers a severe injury to this area of the brain, he or she can lose the ability to walk. This can happen even if muscles and bones involved in the process of walking are not damaged because it is the individual's innate sense of the process involved in walking that is damaged in an injury to the primary motor cortex. Fortunately for individuals suffering from this type of injury, it is possible to learn how to walk again through physical therapy.

When an individual receives compensation for his or her damages through a workplace accident claim, he or she can use the compensation to pay for physical therapy and other needs related to the injury, such as the need for a mobility aid while he or she is in recovery and any associated medical bills.

When a TBI patient relearns how to walk in physical therapy, he or she does so at a slow pace, carefully rebuilding the sense of timing, balance, and even the muscle tone in his or her legs over time. Physical therapy is completed with the guidance of a licensed physical therapist. Physical therapy might start with joint and spine mobilization, muscle re-education, and therapeutic exercises. Depending on the patient's ability at the start of a physical therapy regimen, it might be a few sessions before he or she actually practices standing and walking.

Once the patient is able to stand, he or she might practice holding his or her balance with the support of a handrail. Moving beyond this, the patient might practice taking steps while supported by two parallel handrails, allowing him or her to focus on redeveloping his or her gait and incorporating it into the process of walking. For many individuals in physical therapy, the phrase “heel, toe, heel, toe” is a helpful mantra to repeat as a way to build a sense of rhythm as well as remember where to place each foot.

A traumatic brain injury can be very expensive for a victim. If you were injured because of another party's negligence in your workplace, consider working with a member of our team of experienced San Jose workplace accident lawyers at Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, L.L.P. to file a claim for financial compensation. Contact our firm today to set up your initial consultation with us. We work with clients from the Bay Area, San Mateo County, Alameda County, San Benito County, Monterey County, and Santa Clara County.

• Traumatic brain injury
• The Anatomy of Movement