How a simple head injury can make things worse

Jai was a smart 17-year old boy, naturally brilliant at academics. He is a topper in his class, excelling at oratorical competitions at school. Despite the attention he received from schoolmates, he was strangely withdrawn. Till he was 15 years of age, his parents thought that he was a shy, introverted person. As time went by, they became curious at first, worried and later anxious, as his social skills, instead of improving became worse.

Anjali is a brilliant homemaker and excellent software professional (working from home). Her in-laws, husband and children cannot stop praising her virtues, yet when she is home alone, she has unexplained bouts of depression.

Satya was very good at studies and a vivacious child of eight, until suddenly his started throwing temper tantrums and became more and more moody. His teachers complained about him appearing defocused and disoriented in class; his speech was more often than not slurred, memory getting poorer by the day. He complained of ringing in his ears and sensitivity to bright light.

All of them had one thing in common. They had a mild head Injury. Jai fell off his friend's bike while riding the pillion; Anjali slipped down and hurt her head while rocking her computer chair; Satya had a mild knock on his head, while standing at the forward short-leg point at a school cricket match.

All their MRI and CT scans were normal and all were back to normal after a couple of days. Yet in six months, they had difficulty in doing simple tasks like kicking a football or catching a ball.

Explaining about the queer change of things, N. S. Srinivasan, Chief Mentor at Medha Mind Enhancement Services, who has helped these people to identify their problem and get back to normalcy says, "almost all of us `see stars' and felt slightly disoriented due to a fall though all clear up in less than 15 minutes. Yet, we need to be alert when any of the following symptoms appear."

The key symptoms to watch out for in a head injury, however mild it may be, are
- Headache
- Dizziness, lack of coordination, loss of balance
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision, double vision, or sensitivity to light
- Confusion, disorientation, difficulty concentrating or sleeping
- No memory of events immediately before or after the injury
- Irritability and minor behavioural changes
- Inappropriate emotional responses

"Seeing stars" is a type of Mild Head (brain) Injury called concussion.  It results when the brain impacts the interior of the skull owing to a blow to the head, fall, or violent movement. What actually happens inside the brain as a result of a concussion is still being researched, explains Srinivasan. 

Each year around the world, millions of children and adults experience a concussion owing to minor accidents from organized and recreational sports. Cycling game alone forces about one lakh people to visit a hospital emergency for a head injury.

Mild concussion is frequently undetectable with MRI or CT scans, so doctors rely primarily on the reporting of a head injury followed by the existence of symptoms related to concussion. Even the violent shaking of an infant that causes shaken baby syndrome commonly manifests as diffuse injury, he explains.

Headaches are treated through medication; problems with memory or thinking are addressed through rehabilitation specialists; emotional and behavioral issues are often assessed and addressed by psychologist or psychiatrist, through appropriate therapy or medications, says Srinivasan.

Neurofeedback, an evidence-based scientific system that helps the brain rewire itself. With specialized equipment and the right software, we can measure the connectivity between various brain wave areas from recordings done from the scalp. Specialized software shows how the wiring has been damaged. "The brain thereafter is rewired through "Training & Self-regulation" he adds.

The training rewards appropriate frequencies that are needed for connectivity and inhibits those that are caused by axons shearing off. "It is so satisfying to see children recover and begin lead normal lives, adds Sakthi Sivakumar, a facilitator at Medha.

For more details, contact 91-44-2434-1948/4231-6242.

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