Few things are as difficult for the medical community as figuring out how to help the brain heal after a serious injury. For instance, someone who was involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler may suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This could limit mobility or cognitive function, and full healing may seem impossible.
This is not the same as it is with other organs or parts of the body. Broken bones can heal, skin cells can regenerate and things of this nature. Why is it that the brain is so different?
Regeneration is severely limited
While it is not true that brain cells can never regenerate, the fact of the matter is that it is incredibly limited and many cells that are lost through a traumatic injury will never be regenerated. The reason your skin can heal is because it can create more cells very easily, but your brain lacks this ability.
As a result, the brain often tries to find different neural pathways and focuses on essentially reprogramming itself to give you back some of the skills that you may have lost. This is why some recovery often happens at the very beginning of the process, but then it can stall out after months or years, and no more recovery will occur. The brain can only do so much to find new pathways and, if it cannot create the new cells that were lost, then it cannot take further steps to promote healing.
This is why those who suffer from traumatic brain injuries often have life-altering ramifications. Their entire personalities can change, or they can lose skills and abilities that they will never get back. If this happens to you or a loved one as a result of a truck accident or any other motor vehicle accident, be sure you understand all of the legal options at your disposal.