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If your family is facing Locked-In Syndrome (LIS), you may be carrying both deep concern and difficult practical questions. How will we care for them? What resources will they need?...
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Locked-In Syndrome (LIS) can feel like a tragic black hole. Families are often flooded with fear, anger, despair, and an overwhelming sense of loss. But with the right care, support,...
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A stroke is a medical emergency. When the warning signs are missed or dismissed, the consequences can change a life forever. If your loved one’s stroke was not diagnosed in...
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Yes, some people can recover from a traumatic brain injury, but they might face a lifetime of problems. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can range in severity from a mild...
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 2.8 million traumatic brain injuries in the United States in 2014. If you or a loved one suffered brain and...
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President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, also called the “Len Bias Law.” Len Bias was an NBA player who died from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine...
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Strokes are one of the most common causes of locked-in syndrome. These strokes affect the brain stem. Doctors often call them pontine strokes because they specifically affect an area of...
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Because it causes near-global paralysis, takes away the ability to speak, and prevents a person from providing self-care, locked-in syndrome affects almost every aspect of a person’s life. Most people...
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Locked-in syndrome is the outcome when an injury to the brain stem prevents the brain from communicating with the spinal cord and the rest of the nervous system. Most commonly,...
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Doctors can run a series of tests to rule out other conditions and determine brain function to confirm a locked-in syndrome diagnosis. Diagnosing this condition is often difficult, and could...
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Some people diagnosed with locked-in syndrome continue to feel pain and retain sensation throughout their body or in limited areas of their body. Every case of locked-in syndrome is different,...
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How doctors treat broken vertebrae depends on the type of injury, the cause, its location, and many other factors. Treatment can range from conservative treatment — e.g., bracing — to...
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Both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia can cause brain injury. However, the way these two conditions cause neurological damage does differ. In general, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is much more dangerous. Extremely...
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In most cases, those who receive a locked-in syndrome diagnosis retain full cognitive functioning. Locked-in syndrome occurs because of a stroke or other issues in the brain stem. This is...
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In some cases, patients who have an incomplete form of locked-in syndrome may regain the ability to live functionally. Studies of patients with locked-in syndrome show that those with the...
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Patients with locked-in syndrome can hear you and may be able to respond. He or she typically has global paralysis, except for blinking and vertical eye movements. Some can answer...
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The area of the brain that can cause locked-in syndrome (the pons) following a stroke is the same area of the brain that regulates pace and depth of autonomic breathing....
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Many patients die in the first hours or days following a brain stem or pontine stroke, often of pulmonary complications. Others are not diagnosed soon enough and die from the...
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There are three different types, called categories, of locked in syndrome. When doctors diagnose someone with the condition, the medical professional will evaluate their abilities and impairments to determine which...
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A traumatic brain injury, stroke, or hemorrhage that affects the brain stem can lead to locked in syndrome while similar injuries to other parts of the brain can instead cause...
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Most cases of locked in syndrome occur because of damage to the brainstem. The brainstem is near the base of the skull, connecting the cerebrum with the spinal cord. It...
More: Which Specific Area of the Brain Causes Locked-In Syndrome? »
There are no warning signs for locked-in syndrome. The only signs that someone may have locked-in syndrome include waking from a coma but remaining paralyzed and unable to communicate. Locked-in...
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An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels. Usually present at birth, an arteriovenous malformation can occur anywhere in the body. When they occur in the brain...
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If you or a loved one suffered an artery impingement that led to an acquired brain injury, our attorneys at Newsome | Melton can help. When arteries suffer damage, they...
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Locked in syndrome affects motor function, but pain may be possible in some cases. Most people with the condition describe feeling scared and anxious early on, but once they develop...
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There is no cure for locked in syndrome, and most treatments focus on preventing further issues — bedsores and pneumonia, for example — and improving quality of life. Most people...
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There are no exact numbers on how many people are diagnosed with locked-in syndrome each year. However, it is an extremely rare condition. There are only a handful of known...
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While there are occasionally cases that make the news of someone recovering from locked-in syndrome or a similar diagnosis, this is incredibly rare. Most people diagnosed with this condition do...
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Locked in syndrome can occur from any injury or illness that results in both quadriplegia and the inability to communicate verbally but does not affect the person’s cognitive functioning. In...
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Locked in syndrome is not common. In fact, it’s an extremely rare condition with fewer than one case diagnosed per million people. Locked in syndrome leaves the person with an...
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Going into shock can cause an acquired brain injury by reducing the amount of oxygen-rich blood that reaches the brain. Without blood and oxygen, the brain quickly begins deteriorating. Neural...
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Acquired brain injury (ABI) is any type of brain injury not caused by a genetic condition or another congenital abnormality. An ABI can occur because of an accident or illness....
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