Contact sports, car crashes and falls are the most common cause of concussions in Katy, Texas area. This type of traumatic brain injury is caused by a sudden acceleration or deceleration to the head. Common symptoms of a concussion include headaches, dizziness, loss of consciousness, confusion, fatigue and vomiting.
While also a common symptom, hearing loss is often left off the list. The force required to cause a traumatic brain injury can actually damage the bones in the middle ear. It can also fracture the bones in the inner ear or cochlea. Another cause of hearing loss is an injury to the part of the brain that interprets or processes sound.
It is important to seek medical attention immediately following a concussion. A series of balance and hearing tests must be performed; these tests include:
- Neurological evaluation. This measures your sensory and motor responses, including your vision, hearing, balance and coordination.
- Cognitive tests. These evaluate your ability to think.
- Imaging tests. Those such as cranial computerized tomography (CT) or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to see if there is any physical injury or bleeding inside your skull.
- This is the simplest and most important test. Completed either in the hospital or at home, the patient’s symptoms must be monitored for at least 24 hours following the concussion in order to make sure symptoms do not get worse.
Rest is the recommended treatment for a concussion. This includes avoiding any physical activity, especially anything that could lead to another head injury. This treatment plan is able to treat most symptoms, except for hearing loss.
In order to treat your hearing loss, you will need to make an appointment with a Brookshire area audiologist. Once there they will complete a series of tests in order to determine your type and degree of hearing loss. Once this has been determined your audiologist will be able to craft a treatment plan. Most individuals with hearing loss will require a hearing aid.
The whole process may seem overwhelming. Never fear, the best audiologist serving the Brookshire, Fulshear and West Houston area located in Katy will be by your side the whole time; you will not have to go through it alone.