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Could magnetic stimulation therapy help my brain injury?

On Behalf of | Dec 14, 2018 | Brain Injury, Injuries |

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have left numerous individuals with lifelong cognitive, emotional, psychological and physical disabilities. Sometimes, TBI patients are left unconscious and in a coma.

TBIs are difficult to treat. In many cases, doctors admit that the best medicine for a TBI is rest and time. However, medical advancements are always occurring. For example, one new treatment for TBI involves the stimulation of the brain with magnets.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation for brain injuries

New medical evidence shows that in severe brain injury cases, cortical processing continues, even when the patients are unconscious. Some doctors believe that what they refer to as “disordered consciousness” in severe brain injury cases can improve over time with the right kind of treatments. Disordered consciousness is a medical term used to describe someone who is in a:

  • Coma
  • Vegetative state
  • Minimally conscious state

Unfortunately, very few treatments exist that serve to improve recovery for severe TBI patients with disordered consciousness. Most of these treatments rely on amantadine (a drug shown to help people with brain injuries) and sensory stimulation. However, during the last couple of years, scientists have been researching a new type of TBI treatment for disordered consciousness called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).

Doctors currently suspect that transcranial magnetic stimulation could be a safe and effective means to improve cognitive recovery among people with severe brain injuries that leave them in a coma or vegetative state. Considering the paucity of treatments available for individuals suffering from this condition, it seems that the medical community certainly has something to be excited about with rTMS.

Is your loved one suffering from a severe TBI?

If your loved one is suffering from a severe TBI, you might want to consider new, advanced brain injury treatments. That said, new medical treatments for brain injuries are usually the most expensive and unaffordable. Therefore, if your loved one was hurt as a result of another party’s negligence, you might want to look into your legal rights and options. In some cases, brain injury victims might be able to pursue financial restitution for a brain injury.

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