Physical Changes after
Brain Injury
A brain injury can cause physical changes in the person. These may
include changes in:
•
Movement because of bone, muscle, or joint injuries or changes
•
Strength
•
Energy level
•
Muscle control
•
Balance
•
Senses
•
Swallowing
•
Bowel and bladder function
This handout will help you understand some of these changes. Through
rehabilitation, the person with a brain injury will work toward the
greatest level of independence to deal with these physical changes.
Changes in Movement
The brain controls the movement of the body. When the brain is injured,
the ability to move is often changed. There may be other injuries such as
broken bones or tissue damage that affect movement.
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Orthopedic (or-tho-PE-dik) injuries may occur with a brain injury
and can include:
Fractures or broken bones
Bruises
Sprains or tears in the ligaments, which are bands of tissue that
connect bones or cartilage at a joint
Strains, which are tears in muscle or tendons
Joint injuries
Braces and casts are often used to allow healing and to give
protection of the injury. Talk to your doctor if you have questions
about your brace.
•
Heterotrophic ossification (HO) (het-er-o-TROF-ik os-i-fi-KAshun) is bone growth into muscles and joints where bone normally is
not found. This can occur when body parts are not moved in the full
range of motion over time. HO can be painful and limit movement.
Over time, HO can restrict function in everyday life.
•
Contractures (kon-TRAK-churs) is shortening or stretching of
muscle tissue. It causes movement to be limited in a joint. If a person
is not able to move a joint over time because of injury or pain, it can
cause contractures. Full range of motion is needed to prevent this
from happening. Family and caregivers play a role in prevention by
helping the person to do range of motion exercises. Splints and casts
may also be used to prevent contractures.
•
Muscle problems may occur with a brain injury. Problems include:
Weakness in the muscles from limited use. There may also be
injury to the muscle that may add to the weakness. The energy
needed for healing can limit energy for muscle strength.
Lack of endurance or having less energy. The energy needed to
be active is less because of bedrest, low energy reserves and the
high energy needed to learn to move again. This problem is a big
challenge when trying to do basic tasks.
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Loss of control. The ability of the brain to tell muscles to work
may not function, or it may work in a different way after a brain
injury. An injury on the right side of the brain may cause
problems with movement on the left side of the body. An injury
on the left side of the brain may cause problems with movement
on the right side of the body.
When the injury causes loss of control to muscles or paralysis on
one side of the body, it is called hemiplegia (hem-i-PLE-jah).
When the injury causes loss of control to muscles or paralysis on
both sides of the body, it is called quadriplegia (kwod-ri-PLEjah) and both arms and both legs are affected. The motor centers
in the brain that move muscles may need to be retrained after
injury to regain muscle control.
•
Poor balance is a common problem after a brain injury. The extent
of the problem will guide how much help the person will need to
prevent falls and stay safe.
Other Changes
•
Changes to Senses – Brain injury can cause changes to how the
person feels or reacts to pain. It may also lead to changes in the
person's ability to feel temperature or touch. Some people are not able
to feel where a body part is in relation to the rest of the body or things
around them. For example, the person may not be able to feel that
their arm is resting on their lap as they sit in a chair.
•
Vision Changes – Brain injury can cause changes in vision. These
can include:
•
Hemianopsia (hem-e-ah-NOP-se-h) where the person has
blindness in half of the visual field of each eye.
Visual neglect or inattention where visual input from one side of
the body is ignored.
Apraxia (ah-PRAK-se-ah) is the loss of the ability to carry out
movements or use objects correctly when there are no sensory or
motor control problems. For example, a person with Apraxia may not
be able to brush his teeth because he does not remember the steps to
do the task, even though he has use of his arms.
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Dysphagia (dis-FA-je-ah) or problems swallowing. Brain injury may
affect the ability to swallow safely. The strength or the coordination
of the muscles for swallowing may be changed or impaired. If
dysphagia is not treated, the person may have food or liquids going
into the airway instead of his or her stomach. This is called
aspiration. The speech pathologist may recommend a special diet or
ways to help the person swallow food and liquids safely.
•
Bowel and Bladder Changes – Nerves that carry signals from the
brain to the bowel and bladder may be affected by injury to the brain.
Limited physical activity and changes in the amount and types of
food and fluids the person eats or drinks can change bowel and
bladder function as well. Therapy may help to improve bowel and
bladder control.
Talk to your doctor or others on your health care team if you
have questions. You may request more written information from
the Library for Health Information at (614) 293-3707 or email:
[email protected].