Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. You probably know a lot about concussions from professional football, and also about PTSD from the news. Those are extreme cases and the effects can be severe. But did you know that even a mild brain injury such as bumping your head into a door can cause problems to materialize months later? When symptoms appear, people often don’t make the connection.
Modern technology has brought us the ability to analyze the brain in detail. This process, known as “Brain Mapping”, has helped to further our understanding of brain function and how it is impacted by a variety of conditions. Of particular interest has been the role that brainwaves play in brain and body health. These brainwaves have a normal rhythm of movement, and if disrupted they can begin to move at an irregular rate, leading to a host of neurological issues. Contact our chiropractic team in Torrance today for help.
Understanding Brainwaves
There are 4 main brainwaves in your head: Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta. Each serve different functions in the brain. Delta brainwaves are strongest when we are sleeping and help us rest and recharge. Beta brainwaves are strongest when we are awake, alert and processing information. You are using Beta brainwaves to read this article and process the information.
Decades of research have shown that a brain injury can impact Delta brainwaves by speeding them up. If Delta brainwaves are moving too fast, it will disrupt sleeping patterns, which can lead to many symptoms associated with a lack of the proper sleep your body needs to recharge and recover. In addition to this, a brain injury can slow down your Beta brainwaves. This can lead to a lack of focus and attention, brain fog, or even slower processing of information. If you can imagine a person who has trouble sleeping, has focus problems and processes information slower, you can imagine the negative impact that will have on their personality and well-being.
Symptoms of a mild brain injury are familiar: headaches, migraines, fatigue and irritability are common. And more serious brain injuries have even bigger symptoms, such as seizures, slurred speech, loss of memory, dizziness, vision problems, lack of attention and personality changes.
Does this sound like you or someone you know?
How Neurofeedback Can Help
The good news is that help is available and can be administered locally by a trained clinician. The process is called neurofeedback, a system that has been around since the 1960’s. It is a non-invasive and drug free process that restores normal brain function. Neurofeedback does one thing: It corrects brainwaves. If your Beta brainwaves are running too slow, neurofeedback can speed them up. Similarly, it can slow down Delta brainwaves. With brainwaves moving at the proper speed, the brain and body can heal itself and function better, thereby reducing or eliminating brain injury symptoms.
Neurofeedback does not target any disorder. It corrects irregular brainwaves and modifies timing patterns in the brain. And the process is easy, you simply watch a movie or listen to music. The computer and your brain do the rest! Over multiple sessions, the brain learns to make healthy patterns on its own. Results are often permanent, and symptoms can often be reduced or eliminated. More information on Neurofeedback and Brainwaves can be found on this site.
The Next Step
If you think you have the symptoms of a brain injury, then find out for sure. The first step is to call our office and schedule a brain map . The process is non-invasive and only takes 20 minutes. Plus we will give you a comprehensive report of findings that you can easily read and understand. If we determine that you have a brain injury, we will recommend a plan to reduce or eliminate your symptoms using neurofeedback.
