My Civil Advocate

Auto accident injuries are wide-ranging, but some are more common than others. They can be influenced by seatbelt usage (or lack thereof), airbags, the direction the impact came from, the speed of impact, or the position of the occupant's body when the impact occurred (facing straight ahead or turned). Soft tissue injuries - those involving ligaments, muscle, or tendons - are most common car accident injuries. Whiplash is a noticeable one. Muscles and ligaments of the neck and shoulders are unnaturally stretched to due to sudden, high-energy movements caused by impact. These forces are responsible for many back injuries as well, including serious ones involving the spine. Scrapes and laceration can result through contact with something solid inside the car; loose, flying objects, such as a cell phone, eyeglasses, or a bag of groceries; or getting smacked in the face by an airbag. A blow to the head can cause a concussion, as the brain is slammed against the interior of the skull...

Nearly 800,000 Americans each year suffer from strokes. According to the american heart Association, strokes are the fourth-leading cause of death and a major source of disabilities among adults. Time is of the essence in stroke treatment. A recent one-year study conducted by UCLA researchers showed that those who suffered strokes had a roughly 80 percent chance of a successful outcome- able to live independently within three months, when treated within four hours of the onset of symptoms. The percentage drops significantly beyond four hours. For the past 20+ years, the first-line therapy for strokes has been an injection of tPA (tissue plasminogen activator)*, a blood thinning medication. It is very effective on small blood clots but frequently fails to break up larger ones. However, a new therapy is proving to be a game changer. Stent retriever therapy* can remove clots more quickly, including larger ones that are problematic for tPA, improving a patients outlook. The only draw...

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are responsible for the deaths of approximately 50,000 Americans each year and the hospitalizations of roughly 230,000 more. Many more victims go undiagnosed. Auto accidents are one of the leading causes of TBI. Most TBI's are closed head injuries, which means that trauma sets the brain in motion inside the skull. The brain gets slammed against the interior surface of the skull, resulting in contusions and swelling.  Trauma can also initiate rotational forces that twist and stretch the brain, which can damage axons. Brain neurons send messages via electrical impulses; axons are the carriers of these impulses. When axons are damaged, brain function is diminished.  A condition called diffuse axonal injury (DAI) occurs on a cellular level and leaves blood vessels and major brain structures intact. This type of damage cannot be detected by MRIs or CT scans, making DAI vastly under diagnosed and under treated.  Brain injuries are u...