Many parts of the body can completely heal after an injury, given enough time and treatment. Often, this is because the body has the ability to create new cells or cells have the ability to divide and replicate themselves.
If you suffer a cut, for example, your body can create new skin cells or scar tissue. If you suffer blood loss, new blood cells are always being created in your bone marrow.
This is part of the reason that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have long-term effects. For the most part, with just two rare exceptions, cellular division in the brain is not possible. The brain simply cannot create new neurons, so any injury could be permanent.
Why do people see some level of recovery?
Many TBI victims do see recovery initially. This is often due to the brain’s ability to find new neural pathways. Electrical signals are sent between different parts of the brain. When some brain cells are lost, the brain can sometimes find other pathways to send those same signals, so people can regain skills or abilities that they may have lost, and their symptoms can decrease.
But they are still not creating new brain cells, so even this type of healing can be significantly limited. Someone may see improvement for six months after a car accident, for example, but then hit a plateau that they cannot seem to overcome. Symptoms that they still have at this point could become permanent issues that they have to deal with for the rest of their life.
Do you deserve compensation?
Brain injuries can be very serious and can change a person’s life. If you have been injured due to another person’s negligence, then you may deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, reduced earning capacity and much more. It can help to get experienced legal guidance at this time.