A traumatic brain injury could be suffered in a motor vehicle accident, and the immediate symptoms may be very clear. For instance, many people who suffer from a TBI will lose consciousness. They may also have sensitivity issues or memory issues when they regain consciousness.
But a lot of the symptoms will slowly clear up in the hours or days after the incident. They may regain some of their memories, they’ll become less sensitive to light and noise, and they will generally begin the recovery process.
But doctors will warn that the brain doesn’t always completely heal. Sometimes, healing reaches a plateau and doesn’t continue. This could mean that you’re left with symptoms that may not necessarily go away with time. Why does this happen?
Brain cells do not regenerate
This happens because your brain is going through the process of seeking out new neural pathways that can be used to provide you with the skills that you once had. It can find some neural pathways that allow you to heal and recover these skills, but it cannot always find new pathways for every type of injury.
When other parts of the body are injured, they are able to regenerate cells to heal. But, for the most part, your brain is entirely incapable of doing this. Since it cannot regenerate cells to replace the ones that were lost, if new pathways cannot be found, the brain has no more alternatives for healing. This may be the reason that you’ve run into a plateau.
If this has happened to you and you’re worried about facing lifelong complications, it’s especially important for you to know how to seek financial compensation from the driver who caused the crash.