Acquired brain injuries

More about acquired brain injuries (ABI)

Physiotherapy Douma has strong connections to the category of patients with an acquired brain injury. Acquired brain injuries, or ABI, refers too injuries which have been dealt to the brain during a person’s life. These brain injuries can be divided into two categories: Traumatic brain damage and non-traumatic brain damage. Beside ABI, there is also brain damage acquired at birth; brain damage caused, for example, by oxygen shortage or an infection during or after birth.

Traumatic brain damage

Traumatic brain damage is caused by something outside the sufferer’s body. Examples of potential causes include: falling down a flight of stairs, a car accident or a hard hit on the head during a fight. Examples of traumatic brain damage are: a concussion or a brain contusion.

The causes of ABI can be divided as such:

Without skull damage

• (traffic) accident
• falling
• heavy object hitting the head
• being hit on the head
• shaken-baby syndrome

With skull damage

• penetration of bone fragments into the brain as a result of skull fracture
• penetration of an object into the brain, such as a bullet, bladed weapon, or metal object
• non-traumatic brain damage: non-traumatic brain damage is caused by something within the body

Non-traumatic brain damage:

• Stroke/Cerebrovascular accident (CVA): cerebral infarction (blood vessel closure)
• Cerebral haemorrhage
• Infection
• Brain (encephalitis)
• Meninges (meningitis)
• Tumours
• Poisoning/intoxication (drugs, alcohol)
• Oxygen shortage (hypoxia/anoxia), due to: cardiac arrest; near-drowning; blocking of the trachea, smoke poisoning
• Epilepsy
• Waterhead/hydrocephalus
• Metabolic disorders

Degenerative illnesses

The degenerative illnesses below can be classified as ABI, but are often not counted among ABI in healthcare, because the treatment of these afflictions differs greatly from other acquired brain injuries.

• Physiotherapy Hilvertshoek does treat these degenerative illnesses!
• Multiple sclerosis
• M. Parkinson
• M. Alzheimer
• Huntington’s disease

Living independently with ABI

After a brain injury, it is often no longer matter of course to live independently at home; problems often crop up in daily life and in the home. Physiotherapy Douma cooperates with Ergotherapie Gooi en Omstreken in a multidisciplinary team for the home situation of patients with ABI. Together, they offer solutions and attempt to allow the patient to live at home for as long as possible.

Currently, Physiotherapy Douma works with this category of patients at Sherpa locations in Huizen and Blaricum. The physiotherapie there trains the clients and gives them focused advise on moving safely and correctly. The physiotherapist also offers fall prevention and trains the clients in transfers (standing up out of bed or a chair), walking, climbing stairs, endurance and balance.