A concussion or traumatic brain injury can have a major impact on someone’s daily lived experience. They might need to spend weeks in the hospital and undergo physical therapy. Some people have to change jobs or require medical support for the rest of their lives in the wake of sustaining harm to their brain.
Each traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unique, with the symptoms and severity varying significantly from case to case depending on the location of the injury and numerous other factors. The way someone injures their brain and their underlying medical conditions can play major roles in their response to an injury.
Another personal factor that influences the severity of a brain injury and the recovery process for someone is the sex of the person injured. Men and women (somewhat surprisingly) have very different responses to brain injuries and often experience a significantly different recovery process.
What have researchers uncovered?
In general, men tend to be more likely than women to suffer a concussion, but women often have worse long-term outcomes when compared with men. Researchers have begun to notice that while women make up only a minority of those with TBIs, they are far more likely than men with brain injuries to experience long-term consequences, like lasting depression, substance abuse, problems with memory and even homelessness.
Physically, women tend to see more thinning of the cortex after a brain injury, which may play a role in helping women better recover from TBIs in the future. Medical researchers will likely need to invest more time and resources into exploring how women recover from concussions and how their bodies respond to such injuries. Currently, women with brain injuries are likely to require more support that lasts for longer when compared with a man who experiences a similar injury.
Those differences can affect someone’s compensation needs
Pursuing compensation for a brain injury after getting hurt by someone else’s negligence or rule-breaking requires that people put a price on their losses thus far. Looking at the likely long-term medical expenses after a concussion will be an important part of pursuing an appropriate amount of compensation.
Those who recognize that women may require more treatment and support could potentially have an easier time pursuing an appropriate amount of compensation from at-fault parties based on the nature of their injury and the future consequences it is likely to inspire.