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Traumatic injuries to any part of your body can be sudden and severe, and may take a long time to heal. But injuries to your brain or spine can be especially devastating — even life-threatening.
Brain and spine trauma can happen for many reasons including falls, car accidents or high-impact sports. Based on how severe your injury is, complications can vary. You may lose consciousness, break bones, have bleeding in your brain or become paralyzed.
PeaceHealth cares for complex brain and spine injuries in children and adults. Your treatment team may include emergency medicine doctors, neurologists, radiologists, neurosurgeons or physical therapy and rehabilitation specialists. We’ll assess and treat your injury, manage complications and help you heal.
Brain and spine injuries happen when you least expect it. That’s why PeaceHealth is prepared to care for even the most critical injuries.
PeaceHealth is a Level II trauma center with neurosurgeons and air transport services available 24/7, we’re prepared to care for most brain and spine injuries.
PeaceHealth has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. This means our patients have lower readmission rates and fewer reoperations.
We’re one of a few hospitals in the Northwest with a neuro ICU. Patients with brain and spine injuries receive around-the-clock care from neurologists, neurosurgeons, critical care doctors and specially trained nurses.
Our inpatient rehabilitation center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Patients cared for in accredited facilities are often able to function better more quickly. This means they can return to their homes instead of a skilled nursing facility.
These occur when damaged blood vessels leak blood in or around your brain. Epidural hematomas cause bleeding between your skull and the tissue that protects your brain. Subdural hematomas cause bleeding on your brain’s surface.
This type of brain injury is usually caused by a blow to the head. Concussions are usually not life-threatening, but they need proper care. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, confusion, memory loss or personality changes.
A fracture is the medical name for a broken bone. If you fracture your skull, it means you’ve broken one or more of the cranial or facial bones that your skull is made of.
These are injuries to your spinal cord, which is the bundle of nerves inside your spine. Symptoms depend on how severe the nerve damage is and where it’s located. The symptoms may keep you from moving, feeling and controlling different areas of the body.
Spine fractures occur when you break one or more of the vertebrae (small bones) in your back. Your vertebrae can collapse, crack or be crushed into several pieces.
TBIs happen from a blow to the head or when an object breaks through the skull. Symptoms vary, depending on the part of the brain that’s hurt. TBIs can cause long-term changes in brain function. These include problems with memory, multitasking, anger, depression, social interaction or understanding speech.
Neuropsychology professionals are training in understanding how the brain functions. They perform cognitive assessments to help determine the treatment and rehabilitation that’s right for you.
If you have osteoporosis, you may work with a physical therapist to help strengthen your bones with weight-bearing exercises. Your therapist will also help you improve muscle strength, balance and flexibility to prevent falls.
PeaceHealth offers a range of surgical procedures. Whenever possible, we use the least invasive techniques available, including:
When a traumatic injury or critical illness occurs, trauma surgeons offer expert surgical care. We treat conditions that result from a car accident, fall or blunt force and treat surgery for those who become critically ill and need life-saving surgery.