Water, Water Everywhere
Summer is the time for water. Beaches, pools, waterslides, swimming, diving and much more. So much fun, but dangers lurk. Some of the dangers can result in injuries that cause:
- Trauma or multiple traumas to various parts of the body, including the head and brain
- Mild brain injury (MBI)
- Catastrophic brain injury
- Concussions
- Neurologic injury
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
The potentials for injury depend, in part, upon the activity involved. For example:
- An individual swimming laps in a pool may not perceive the end of the pool. Hence, he or she may suddenly come upon the concrete wall of the pool and hit it with his or her head. This dynamic can cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI) if, for example, the swimmer is involved in a formal or informal race and, therefore, is swimming at a high rate of speed. The effect can also be a concussion which is a form of mild brain injury (MBI). Alternatively, it might result in a skull fracture. It could also lead to a brain bleed from the impact and a consequent stroke. Depending upon the angle of the impact, a cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) may result. All of these possibilities are potentially catastrophic and will require a range of acute care and after that, post-acute rehabilitation.
- An individual entering a pool may misperceive the depth of it while diving or jumping into it. This can result in a catastrophic head injury if diving. The American Academy of Neurosurgeons cautions against diving into water less than 12 feet deep[1]. If an individual jumps into the shallow end of a pool, he or she may land in a way as to fracture a limb or slip, causing a spinal cord injury (SCI).
- An individual playing water volleyball or similar game may be struck by the ball or an elbow. The brain sits within the skull of the head surrounded by water. When the head is struck, the brain is still moving until it hits the inside of the skull. This can result in bleeding within the brain, bruising or swelling. This and the previously discussed traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s) lead to a complex process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces that impair normal neuro-physiological functioning[2]
- An individual swimming underwater in a pool or in the ocean may use compressed air to breathe or rely upon deep breathing prior to descent. If he or she holds his or her breath after that, that dynamic can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, in a study reported in 2012, dive-specific factors attributed to traumatic brain injury (TBI) included loss of buoyancy control, rapid ascent and repetitive deep diving. The most common event to precede drowning was running out of gas (compressed air)[3].
Just like the causes of the catastrophic injuries that can result from aquatic activity differ depending upon the activity, so does the acute care that is needed. After the individual is medically stabilized, he or she may have physical or mental deficits, often catastrophic ones. If so, he or she will need post-acute rehabilitation such as that which NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida provides. NeuLife Rehab consistently provides the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes and exceed the expectations of all persons served.
An individual who sustains an injury or trauma of this magnitude has his or her independence at stake. The quality of the post-acute rehabilitation obtained often means the difference between independence and reliance. Therefore, and in order to achieve the best possible outcome in cases of even the most difficult and challenging diagnoses, it is crucial that an independent functional evaluation be administered by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals.That evaluation is conducted when an individual becomes a Client of NeuLife Rehab. The multidisciplinary team may consist of:
- 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
From the results of the independent functional evaluation, the professionals of NeuLife Rehab formulate a Client Goal Plan. The Client Goal Plan guides the clinically relevant services delivered by NeuLife Rehab. It guides the cognitive, psychiatric, neurologic, psychological, neuropsychological and all other therapies required for the rehabilitation of the catastrophic injuries for which NeuLife Rehab provides innovative post-acute rehabilitation. The goal of the innovative post-acute rehabilitation is the attainment for our Clients of independence to the fullest extent that his or her physical and mental abilities permit.
NeuLife Rehab in Mount Dora, Florida consistently provides the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes and exceed the expectations of all persons served.
NeuLife Rehab consistently provides the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes and exceeds the expectations of all persons served. Our philosophy of that healing, wellness, and personal fulfillment are best accomplished in an uplifting, therapeutic environment where caring staff encourage, assist and support each Client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife Rehab believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to increase function and independence.
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, 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
[1] http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Sports-Related%20Head%20Injury.aspx
[2] http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2631:head-trauma-in-aquatic-sports&catid=300:articles&Itemid=974
[3]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22824839
