Work-Related Head Trauma: What You Need to Know
Chris Gerspacher • April 15, 2018
Out of the many potential jobsite injuries, those involving the head, brain, and spinal cord are the most serious and the most frightening. Because your brain is the command center of your whole body, even seemingly minor head injuries can have lasting impacts on your quality of life. Your nervous system is what controls your every action, movement, thought, and feeling, and if it has been compromised due to injury, the consequences can be disastrous. Thousands of workers suffer head trauma every year, and some of those individuals become severely and/or permanently disabled.
If you, or someone you love, has recently experienced head trauma due to a workplace incident, here are a few things that you need to know:
- Injury severity may not be fully apparent right away
Unlike a broken bone, a head injury can result in subtle, ever-changing symptoms that may worsen over time. If you are tempted to downplay or write off your head injury, don’t! Make sure you stay vigilant for new symptoms, and keep track of your level of disability, especially during the first couple of weeks following the accident.
- Make sure you seek proper medical care
Even if you don’t feel too bad just following your head injury, it is critical that you seek medical care. Preferably, find a doctor or clinic that specializes in head trauma, and has the resources you need to understand your symptoms, and manage your recovery.
- Prepare for good and bad days
Your nervous system is a complex network, and there is still much that we don’t know about how the brain heals and rewires itself after injury. In most cases, the severity and type of symptom can change rapidly, and you may feel worse or better from one day (or one hour) to the next. Make sure you keep this in mind, and have coping strategies in place for the bad days.
- Hire an experienced advocate
Head trauma can significantly impact your ability to think clearly and stay on top of your worker’s compensation case. Find an experienced worker’s compensation attorney in Southern California, to oversee your case for you, and advocate for your needs. This will take a lot of stress off your plate, and allow you to invest your energy in healing and self-care.
Workplace head injuries can be scary, but you can count on Jackson & Jackson to help. Reach out to us today for your free case review.
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