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Is surgery required to treat a traumatic brain injury?

The bad thing about a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is that it can alter your life in many ways. In addition to long-term health concerns, the most serious injuries can result in death.

On the positive side, there are treatment strategies for helping people deal with the impact of a TBI.

It’s a common misconception that surgery is the best way to treat a TBI. While this is helpful at times, it’s not always the only option.

Here are some times when surgery may be required to treat a TBI:

• To repair a fracture: A skull fracture often requires surgical repair, such as if a piece of the bone poses a threat of additional damage.
• To remove a blood clot: Any type of bleeding within or around the brain can cause clotting, which puts pressure on the brain and increases the risk of damage.
• To open a window: Excess pressure in the skull needs to be dealt with immediately, and opening a window is one of the best ways to do so. This provides additional space for swollen tissue to heal.

If you or a loved one suffers a TBI, such as in a car accident, you should not assume that surgery is the only or best treatment strategy. There may be other ways to treat the injury, all of which should be taken into consideration.

Since a traumatic brain injury can cause so many problems now and in the future, it’s important to protect your legal rights. You can do this by learning more about your accident, including the cause and who was responsible.