Brain Injury Law Blog : Head Injury : Coma : Las Vegas Nevada Lawyer Tim Titolo

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) spokesperson reports that there are some ways to help prevent low back pain and protect your spine. Prevention tips from the AANS:

- Maintain a healthy body weight.

-  If you smoke, quit. Smoking and extra weight can not only damage the spine, but are factors that can negatively impact spine surgery.

- Maintain proper posture while sitting, standing and walking.

- Use proper lifting techniques to avoid injury. Bend your knees when picking up and lowering the object, keep a straight back, and do not twist. Do not lift heavy objects that are beyond your strength ability.

- Make sure your mattress and bed pillow support your neck and back.

- Do exercises that stretch and strengthen the muscles of your abdomen and spine. Strong back and abdominal muscles can help you maintain good posture and keep your spine in its correct position.

- If you suffer from persistent, chronic, or recurring back pain, consult your doctor. In most cases there is a conservative, nonsurgical treatment that can resolve the pain. However, if left untreated or allowed to progress, back pain may lead to serious and severe disability. 

The Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine recommends an excercise machine designed specifically for back muscles as a solution.  Such exercises can only help reduce pain and disabilities caused by back pain. He recommends those who suffer severe hurt begin with stretches on the ground with low to medium effort.
 

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Skiing accident claims another life joing the ranks of celebrities Natasha Richardson and Sonny Bono.  Sadly, a skier who previously suffered brain injury, was again injured despite wearing protective gear and helmet.

Squaw Valley, home of the Oympics, is a popular ski resort near Lake Tahoe, California.  It is also close to Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  Lake Tahoe is partly in California and partly in Nevada.  You can stand with one foot in California and one in Nevada in the town of Southshore, about 45 minutes from Squaw Valley.  The Nevada side has hotels and casinos which abruptly stop on the California side.

ESPN reporter Micah Abrams:

Twenty-six-year-old C.R. Johnson was killed Wednesday while skiing at Squaw Valley, Calif. According to a statement issued by the resort, the Lake Tahoe native caught an edge on exposed rocks while entering the Light Towers area above the Cornice II lift. He fell through rocks before coming to a rest several hundred yards below the entry. Ski Patrol were on the scene within minutes, but efforts to revive Johnson failed. He was reportedly wearing a helmet.

Johnson was known in recent years for his inspiring return to skiing after a traumatic brain injury that he suffered in December of 2005. The injury, sustained when another skier accidentally landed on him during a run, left him in a coma for 10 days. He spent 34 days in the hospital and several months in rehab, but was back on snow by the end of that winter. He made steady progress in recent seasons and this winter finished third in the prestigious Red Bull Linecatcher event in the French Alps.

The ongoing injury and particulary brain injury that permeates so many sporting events, warrants the repeating..."Wear a helmet and protective gear."

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Whiplash, or WAD (whiplash-associated disorders) refers to a series of neck injuries caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck - hyperextension (over-extension) injury to the neck. In many cases whiplash is the result of being struck from behind, for example, by a fast moving vehicle in an automobile accident.
 

Most people associate whiplash with one vehicle being hit in the rear by another vehicle - the driver in front sustains the whiplash. However, the impact can come from any direction and the head may move backwards or sideways, not only forwards initially. Whiplash injury may also be sustained in various ways, such as from falling off a bicycle or a horse.

 What are the symptoms of a whiplash injury?

A symptom is something the patient feels and reports, while a sign is something other people, such as the doctor detect. For example, pain may be a symptom while a rash may be a sign.

A whiplash injury typically takes from 12 to 24 hours after the accident or blow to develop. At the time of the incident any swelling or bruising to the neck muscles will not be apparent straight away. In most cases the discomfort, pain and stiffness is much worse on the following day, and may continue to worsen as each day goes by. A person with a whiplash injury may experience:

• A loss (or reduction) of movement in the neck
• Headaches
• Neck pain
• Neck stiffness
• The back of the neck feels tender
   
• The following signs and symptoms are also possible: 
   
• Lower back pain
• Pain in the arms and hands
• Numbness or pins and needles in the arms and hands
• Muscle spasms
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Swallowing difficulties
• Vision problems (vision may be blurred)
• A feeling that you are moving or spinning (vertigo)
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Sleep disturbances
   
• The following less common signs and symptoms are also possible: 
   
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Poor concentration

Headaches, dizziness, problems swallowing and vision problems should not last long. If they do, tell your doctor.  These could be signs, symtoms and consequences of other injury.

Be aware that certain symptoms of whiplash are also symptoms of Brain injury. A severe whiplash injury, think of shaken baby syndrome, can result in damage to the brain.  Shaken baby syndrome  is a form of child abuse. It refers to brain injury that happens to the child. It occurs when someone shakes a baby or slams or throws a baby against an object. A child could be shaken by the arms, legs, chest, or shoulders.

A coup-contrecoup injury, for example, is common in the hyperflexion/hyperextension process. 

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