Common difficulties after brain injury

  • Physical
  • Cognitive
  • Executive
  • Psychosocial, emotional and behavioural

Physical

  • Paresis – paralysis, inability to move
  • Hemiparesis – inability to move part of the body and/or reduced mobility
  • Muscle weakness increased\decreased tone
  • Ataxia – difficulties in coordinating movement and muscle tremor
  • Sensory loss – loss of sensational feelings
  • Hearing impairment or tinnitus
  • Visual difficulties – diplopia (double vision), blurred vision an visual field deficit
  • Loss of sense of smell and taste
  • Balance problems
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Changes to circadian rhythm
  • Poor stamina
  • Epilepsy
  • Decreased\increased sexual arousal

Cognitive

  • Disorientation to time, space and person
  • Memory impairment – short term, long term, working and new memory
  • Attention difficulties
  • Concentration
  • Information processing
  • Perception – making sense of what we see/hear
  • Speech and language difficulties – receptive (receiving) and expressive (speaking)

Executive

  • Difficulties in goal setting
  • Difficulties in planning and sequencing
  • Poor organisation skills
  • Problem solving difficulties and flexibility
  • Poor initiation
  • Motivation difficulties
  • Unable to self monitor or evaluate

Psychosocial

  • Personality change
  • Reduced tolerance
  • Irritability
  • Emotionally labile
  • Mood swings
  • Egocentric – selfish, lack of interest in others
  • Anxiety, panic attacks, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Depression
  • Disinhibition – sexual, verbal, physical