The Impact of a TBI on Motor Skills and Physical Function
Often, when we’re thinking about the potential consequences of a traumatic brain injury, we consider only the impact on our cognitive skills, on our ability to engage in decision-making, to recall information, to reason and to solve problems. But your brain is also the control center for your physical body, sending the signals back and forth that govern almost all bodily movements. Any type of traumatic brain injury, from a mild concussion to a serious injury, can lead to short and long-term changes in your physical abilities.
Why Does a Traumatic Brain Injury Have a Physical Impact?
Your brain sends and receives messages that control muscles, overseeing all voluntary movements in your body. When you have any type of bump or bruise to your brain, those neural networks can be damaged or destroyed, preventing the transmission of impulses to control you body. In many instances, new neural pathways can be created through a process called neuroplasticity, but that process can be slow and arduous.
What Types of Physical Responses Can You Expect to a Traumatic Brain Injury?
Any type of trauma to your brain may lead to:
- Mobility or movement problems, including both the total inability to move certain parts of your body or significant delays in getting your body to do what your brain wants it to do
- Balance and stability challenges—You may experience vertigo or dizziness, which can be caused by a number of conditions, including changes in your inner ear (vestibular problems) or interference with your brain’s ability to compensate for movement
- Spasticity, where you experience an unanticipated clenching or contraction in your muscles that either causes pain or limits your flexibility
- Ataxia, where you unexpectedly lose the ability to control speech, balance, continence or other bodily functions
- Changes to or loss of any of your five senses
- Aphasia, where you have challenges verbalizing the ideas in your brain
- Headaches
Contact Core Medical Center Today
At Core Medical Center, with offices in Blue Springs, Missouri, we have extensive experience helping men and women who have suffered any type of concussion or traumatic brain injury. We have the tools and resources to accurately assess your condition and either prescribe a regiment of treatment or refer you to a specialist, if necessary. Contact us online or call our offices at (819) 229-1941 to schedule an appointment.
