Some brain injuries do fully heal, so let’s start by acknowledging that not every injury falls into this category. However, these are notorious for failing to heal as completely as other injuries, such as fractures. Many people with brain injuries have symptoms for life.
Have you ever wondered why this is? It’s well-known that the brain is a fragile organ, but why does the most important organ you have struggle to heal the way that a hand or a foot can? What is the difference?
The cells do not divide or regenerate
The issue lies in the types of cells that make up your organs. Some organs, like your skin, are always in a rebuilding process. New cells can be created, and older ones can die. It happens all the time. Healing is easier when the body just needs time to make more cells.
The cells in your brain, though, do not have this property. Your neurons and nerve cells, for the most part, do not even divide like other cells. They don’t regenerate. When they are killed, they’re simply lost. The brain can’t make a replacement.
Most brain healing after cell death is just the brain finding a new pathway or a new way to compensate. It can only do so much. After a time, if the healing still isn’t complete, the chances are that it never will be. This is why you get disabilities and life-long symptoms after a single accident.
What can you do now?
This type of injury may mean you can’t work and that you need care for life. What you can do is seek compensation if you were injured in a car accident, a botched medical procedure or something of this nature.