Brain Injury Rehabilitation Resources

It's often difficult to determine the nature and extent of a brain injury. Because the human brain is exquisitely complicated, as well as extremely vulnerable to injuries, the term "brain injury" can denote a wide range of damage and encompass many different symptoms.

For example, some brain injuries are caused by suffering a strong blow to the outside of the skull, while other injuries may have been caused by an object penetrating the skull. Some brain injuries may affect only one small part of the brain, while others can impact many different areas. Since different parts of the brain control different behaviors, even a small injury can significantly change how someone can perform certain tasks or handle day-to-day activities.

Basic Brain Injury Information

Fortunately, there are many organizations whose mission it is to inform the public about the various kinds of traumatic brain injury (also called TBI). These groups also offer guidance about how to seek out a rehabilitation facility, and what you can expect during the rehabilitation process if you or a loved one has a brain injury. Below is a list of a number of organizations, as well as rehabilitation facilities, that provide comprehensive information about brain injury rehabilitation.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS, is a part of the United States National Institutes of Health that focuses on scientific research related to diseases and disorders of the brain and nervous system. This page provides a thorough introduction to TBI, the causes and risk factors associated with brain injuries, as well as what kind of brain injury rehabilitation patients can receive.
Brain Injury Association of America - The Brain Injury Association of America, the largest brain injury advocacy group in the United States, aims to promote the research and treatment of TBI along with educating the public about brain injuries. This page focuses on the treatment options available for brain injury rehabilitation, including what types of facilities may be most suitable for patients, depending on their degree of impairment and expected length of recovery.

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centers

There are many facilities that specialize in brain injury rehabilitation and recovery, usually as part of a larger medical facility such as a hospital or research facility. Following is a list of several centers in the United States that provide care for those suffering from TBI. This list is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of these facilities, but rather to provide a general sense of the kinds of services a rehabilitation facility can provide, what you could expect from treatment, and what types of outpatient care may be available. These links should also help you think of what questions you may want to ask when considering treatment in a rehabilitation facility.

Mayo Clinic - The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical research and practice facility located in Rochester, Minnesota. This page provides an overview of their brain injury rehabilitation services, including intensive care and community-based programs.
New York University Langone Medical Center - This university-affiliated facility provides a list of the types of brain injuries that can be treated with inpatient care.
Guide to Selecting and Monitoring Brain Injury Rehabilitation Services - This worksheet provided by the BIAA lists important factor that should be considered when deciding on a brain injury rehabilitation facility.

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Information for Veterans

Veterans of the United States armed forces have certain resources available the address the injuries of the men and women who may have seen combat. TBI is particularly common among the over 50,000 troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

United States Department of Veterans Affairs - This federal department oversees the military veteran benefit system and operates a network of hospitals and clinics for those who served in the armed forces. This page contains information about assessing TBI, symptoms and treatment of brain injuries, and recovery and rehabilitation.
United States Department of Defense - this page details the efforts of the Defense Department to care for veterans suffering from TBI in addition to the latest research on this condition.
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is part of the military health system that provides both active duty military and veterans with clinical care at 16 facilities located throughout the United States.