Hearing Loss After Tampa Bay Brain Injury

The Center for Disease Control^[1] (CDC)estimates that as many as 5.3 million Americans are living with brain injuries at any given time, and a significant head injury occurs about every 21 seconds. In 2010, about 2.5 million emergency department visits, hospitalizations or deaths were associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The CDC further provides:

5 to 10% of athletes will experience a concussion in any given sports season

Fewer than 10% of sport-related concussions involve a loss of consciousness

Football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males (75% chance for concussion)

Soccer is the most common sport with concussion risk for females (50% chance for concussion)

78% of concussions occur during games (as opposed to practices)

An estimated 47% of athletes do not report feeling any symptoms after a concussive blow

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by the head being hit by something or shaken violently. There are three severities of TBI: mild, moderate, and severe. A traumatic brain injury can change how someone learns, thinks, performs and behaves. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a blow or jolt to the head. Concussions can also occur from a fall or blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth such as the impact from an airbag after an auto accident. Medical diagnosis may describe a concussion as a “mild” brain injury because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even so, their effects can be serious and sometimes long-term.

Brain Injury Effecting Hearing in Tampa Bay

After a head injury, hearing problems can occur for several reasons, including mechanical and neurological complications. Specifically, TBI can often lead to the following auditory symptoms:

Hyperacusis (normal listening situations seem very loud)
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Hearing loss (sounds seem muffled, less clear, ears feel plugged)
Difficulty filtering one set of sounds from background noise
Auditory agnosia (the person is unable to recognize the meanings of certain sounds)
Difficulty following rapid speech
Difficulty following long conversations or instructions

Tampa Bay Hearing Loss

There are two main types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss^[2] is due to some mechanical problem in the external or middle ear. Sensorineural hearing loss results from a dysfunction of the inner ear. Which part of the ear is affected determines the type of hearing loss the victim suffers. Another, less frequent form of hearing loss is central hearing loss, in which the ear works, but the brain has difficulty understanding sounds because the parts of the brain that control hearing are damaged. This type of hearing loss may occur after a traumatic head injury.

Hearing Loss from Florida Concussion

A person injured in an automobile accident may sustain a “labyrinthine concussion”^[3]. If an individual sustains a femoral bone fracture in an automobile accident, they may experience all of the symptoms of a labyrinthine concussion, including hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance problems. Temporal-bone fractures are more serious than simple concussions and are more likely to be associated with permanent injury to the inner ear.

In some cases, the hearing loss shows up immediately after the accident, especially where it has involved physical impact to the ear. In other cases, the hearing loss resulting from the accident comes on more slowly. The victim may notice ringing in their ear (tinnitus) after the accident, become unable to hear sounds at a distance, hearing muffled sounds rather than crisp, sharp sounds, have difficulty understanding people who are talking to them, pain in the ear, continual itching in the ear, vertigo, and the discharge of fluid or blood from the ear.

Speak to a Tampa Bay Brain Injury Lawyer

If you or someone that you know suffered a traumatic brain injury with hearing loss, it is important to contact an experienced Tampa Bay brain injury attorney who can assist you in determining if you are entitled to compensatory damages for your injuries from those who may be responsible. At the Dolman Law Group in Clearwater, Florida, our team of highly skilled brain injury lawyers have helped many victims obtain the recovery they deserve. Please call our office at 727-451-6900 today.

Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 3375
(727) 451-6900

https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/

References:

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html
[2] http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Conductive-Hearing-Loss/
[3] http://american-hearing.org/disorders/post-traumatic-vertigo/