Blog

Brain or Spinal Cord Injury

• Student Athlete Appeals to Committee About Concussion Caused Problems: What That Means for Athletic Youth in KS and MO

View All

Traumatic Brain Injury: What Are Coup And Countercoup Injuries And How Do They Occur?

A cerebral contusion is a form of traumatic brain injury in which the brain tissue is bruised. Cerebral contusions occur in 20 to 30 percent of brain injury victims. They are very common after car accident injury. Cerebral contusions are divided into two types of injury: coup injuries and countercoup injuries.

A cerebral contusion occurs from a blow to the head. When the injury occurs under the site of impact, it is a coup injury. When the injury occurs on the side opposite the area that was impacted it is called a countercoup injury.
In general, coup injuries are seen when a moving object impacts the stationary head or when the head stops abruptly and the brain hits the inside of the skull. Countercoup injuries are produced when the moving head strikes a stationary object. But, sometimes and accident causes both types of injuries.

Both coup and countercoup brain injuries produce similar symptoms:

• weakness
• lack of motor coordination
• movement problems
• numbness
• aphasia (difficulty with speech)
• memory and cognitive problems

Victims of both types of cerebral contusions must be monitored carefully. The goal of initial treatment is to prevent swelling that can cause further brain injury. In some cases brain swelling can result in brain herniation, a life-threatening condition in which parts of the brain are pushed out past the skull. The greatest danger from swelling occurs four to six days after the initial injury. If swelling causes increased intracranial pressure, surgery may be necessary. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, people with cerebral contusion may heal without medical intervention or they may require lengthy hospitalization and therapy.

Getting back on one’s feet after a brain injury can be a lengthy and expensive process. The Kansas city brain injury attorneys at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys may be able to help your family get insurance compensation for your medical bills, therapy and other expenses. To learn more, contact our Kansas City personal injury lawyers at 1-888-348-2616.

To get a head start on your Missouri personal injury claim, download our free guide, “10 Essential Steps You Must Take To Protect Your Kansas City Injury Claim.”

Just Ask

Free Consumer Guides

Testimonials

• I’m highly satisfied, I would call Victor again. I needed his help, and he has been a great attorney. I’m very comfortable recommending victor to other clients. Now that I’m happy with how much he’s helped me, I’m definitely recommending him to anyone that needed his help.
• Heather was very nice and polite and very informative. Heather was very responsive when I asked her questions and very informative. Yes, she was very aggressive with the insurance company. She was very aggressive trying to get a higher amount. Yes she was very nice. She is very informative and knows what she is doing.
• It was great to work with Heather, she kept me informed about everything, the dos and the don’ts and what everything was and kept me on track. she was very professional she told you what was going on, she kept you a breast of everything that was going on, she was an excellent lawyer. Ms Heather and the whole staff at the Accident Injury firm, I would recommend them to anybody across the world, that they are excellent, honest attorneys.

View All

Latest News

• Posted on 12/26/2011Student Athletes Discussing How Concussions Affect Them Can Help Student Athletes in Kansas and Missouri
• Posted on 11/16/2011NCAA Faces Lawsuit Alleging Lack of Protection for Athletes from Head Injury

View All

FAQs

Brain or Spinal Cord Injury

• A severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in permanent and total inability to function. Can a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) also have serious consequences?
  

View All

Web Resources

• Brain or Spinal Cord Injury

more