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Post Traumatic Brain Injury Research

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Occupational therapy addresses impairments in different areas of occupation and teaches patients to adapt and learn new ways to perform the meaningful occupations successfully. Over the years, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become the leading cause of disability and affects all age groups across the life span (Archer, Svensson, & Alricsson, 2012). TBI, is often a serious injury that occurs as a result of an accident or other trauma. When an individual experiences a traumatic brain injury, their life is normal one moment and shortly changed the next. When a person’s brain is injured, it can affect all aspects of their life, including their personality. Brain injuries also do not heal like other injuries and therefore can take much longer. …show more content…

It is also important to acknowledge the limitations of the current research to give other researchers a guideline to follow and expand upon.
Over the years, there have been multiple studies done concerning the effects of physical activity on patients post TBI, but they are limited. Of the studies that have been done on the population who has experienced a TBI, research is limited in regarding the effects that physical activity has on reducing the symptoms that have effects on areas such as cognitive performance, and behavioral symptoms (Lee, Ashman, Shang, & Suzuki, 2014; Goldshtrom, Knorr, & Goldshtrom, …show more content…

Patients who experience a TBI may lack self-control and self-awareness and as a result may act out impulsively without thinking. Impulsive and socially inappropriate behavior results from decreased reasoning abilities and lack of control. Self-awareness requires complex thinking skills that are often weakened after brain injury. Depression and an alteration in mood states, such an anxiety, anger, and hostility, are common problems experienced after a traumatic brain injury. These changes, in turn, have a significant impact on occupational performance, including employment, academic pursuits, leisure, and social participation (Driver & Ede, 2009; Hoffman, Bell, Powell, Behr, Dunn, Dikmen, & Bombardier, 2010). Researchers have discovered that physical activity significantly improves behaviors as well as mood states in individuals with TBI. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise has been associated with positive effects on mood and self-esteem, and it promotes a general sense of well-being with those who had suffered from a TBI. In clinical populations, exercise has been shown to be a good adjunctive treatment for depression and anxiety (Lee et al., 2014; Zollman, 2011; Wheeler, Acord-Vira, & Davis, 2016). Evidence from a Level I study supports the use of aquatic exercise to improve tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion with people 6 months to 5

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