Summertime Risks of Catastrophic Injury

Summer is coming. Accompanying it is Summer Break from school, college and the start of a major vacation season. For individuals who have tolerated a long, cold winter, or for those who just wish a change of scenery like going to the beach, taking a cruise or spending weekends at the pool or golf course, risks of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and of mild brain injury abound. The consequences of some of those injuries can be catastrophic and life-changing. Let’s consider a few of the ways this might happen:

• At the beach or at the pool. Water polo or throwing something as small as a wet

tennis ball or other water ball games can frequently result in severe trauma. A wet tennis ball, for example is a hard projectile when thrown. It only takes a co-player to miss a catch and for the wet ball to hit another individual on his or her head to cause a mild brain injury. Although the skull surrounds the brain, the brain itself floats in cerebrospinal fluid within the skull. A hard impact to the side of the head can cause a collision between the brain and the inside of the skull, resulting in a concussion and neurologic dysfunction. This dynamic is similar to that of many contact sports for which precautions, such as the use of helmets, may be taken. But because this kind of activity is often impromptu, the same precautions are frequently missing.

Head injuries to divers can also occur and these can be truly catastrophic. A diver can hit his or her head on a springboard or on a diving platform. Even if the launch is successful, a diver may enter the water at very high speeds and at convoluted angles. These entries can result not only in head, and therefore potentially, brain injuries, but also traumatic injuries to the neck and spine.

• On golf courses. Golf balls are, by their nature, small, hard and

travel at high velocities. Although the starting times of individual players and golfing parties are parsed, delays on the fairways and greens are inevitable. It is therefore foreseeable that a golfer may get struck by a very hard golf ball. The dynamics of that impact, especially if in the head, is in some respects similar to the wet tennis ball previously discussed, but it can be much worse and more traumatic. The relatively small size of the golf ball can strike an eye. It can also strike a localized part of the head resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI) to a portion of the brain that controls a specific bodily or cognitive function. If this occurs, specialized post-acute rehabilitation may be required such as that provided by NeuLife Rehab in Mounty Dora, Florida.

Catastrophic injuries know no season. When they occur, acute care is always needed. Thereafter, innovative post-acute rehabilitation such as that provided by the multi-disciplinary team at NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida is also needed. To achieve the independence that all individuals deserve, when an individual becomes a Client of NeuLife Rehab he or she is given an independent functional evaluation by a team that may include:

• Board Certified Neurologist
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst
• Board Certified Physiatrist
• Neuropsychologist
• Psychologist
• Board Certified Psychiatrist

• Speech Language Pathologist/Cognitive Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Occupational Therapist
• Nurses
• Certified Rehab Counselor

The result of the independent functional evaluation forms the basis of a Client Goal Plan for each Client. The Client Goal Plan is implemented by NeuLife Rehab’s multidisciplinary team of professionals. The goal is the attainment of independence for each of our Clients to the fullest extent of his or her physical and mental abilities. .

Proper and timely post-acute rehabilitation that may determine the difference between disability and independence is what NeuLife refers to as the “platinum post-acute period” —  the crucial window following acute care that is needed to nurture the whole person to health with specialized, clinically relevant services.

NeuLife’s philosophy is that healing, wellness and personal fulfillment are best achieved in a positive and uplifting therapeutic environment where caring staff encourages, assists and supports each client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to achieve function and independence.

NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury
(TBI), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amputations, Burns and other Catastrophic Injuries and Challenging Diagnoses.

2725 Robie Avenue

Mount Dora, Florida 32757