Opioids are drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant. While some opioids like morphine are made from the plant directly, others such as fentanyl and tramadol are created in a lab. Opioids are often used as medicines because they can relieve pain. However, opioids can also make people feel ...
A severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects more than just the injured person. It also affects family members and friends who love and are close to the person who is injured. As one of these people, you play a very important role in caring for a loved one with a ...
What are some possible behavior changes?
People who have a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may have changes in their behavior. People with a TBI and their families encounter some common behaviors:
Problems managing emotions. People with a TBI may have a sudden change in mood; they also may have ...
Introduction
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can change a person in many ways. As a caregiver of a person with a TBI, you may feel stressed or overwhelmed in this role. You are not alone; these feelings are normal. Using strategies to manage stress may help you take care of yourself.
Symptoms ...
What you need to know
Low bone density occurs when the body loses too much bone. This causes weak bones that are easier to break. Bone loss can occur immediately after spinal cord injury (SCI) and can continue rapidly for several years after the injury. The medical term for low bone ...
Depression is common and can affect anyone. Depression is even more common in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population. Estimated rates of depression among people with SCI range from 11% to 37%.
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MSKTC Radio · Psychological Distress after Burn Injury
Introduction
The purpose of this fact sheet is to describe some of the emotional recovery challenges that patients may face after sustaining a major burn injury. It is ...
Pain and discomfort are an unfortunate part of burn injury and recovery. Many of our patients tell us that ongoing pain continues to be a problem long after discharge from the hospital.
Learn how to take care of a wound after burn injury. This factsheet gives an overview of the three degrees of burns and the standard treatments for each.
Driving is an important part of a person's independent lifestyle and integration into the community. Because we take our driving skills for granted, it is easy to forget that driving is the most dangerous thing we do in our everyday lives. A brain injury can affect the skills needed to ...
What is spasticity?
Spasticity is the uncontrolled overactivity of muscles caused by disrupted signals from the brain. It is common in persons with more severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). People with spasticity may feel as if their muscles have tightened and will not relax or stretch. They may also feel muscle ...
People hospitalized for a burn injury often describe it as one of the most painful injuries one can experience Opioids are frequently prescribed to help alleviate this pain.
Although there is not one standard approach to acute burn pain management, a goal is for the hospitalized patient to be awake, alert, ...
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MSKTC Radio · Understanding a Burn Injury
PHASE I: Burn Evaluation & Early Care
What Is a Burn Injury?
A burn injury is damage to the layers of skin caused by exposure to the one of the ...
What You Can Do About Your Pain
In the same way that pain is personal, so too are strategies for managing it. Learning to manage pain is a process that takes practice. Don’t get discouraged if the process is difficult at the start.
In this document, you’ll find some common strategies for ...
Pain is an unpleasant sensation that can range from mild to very severe. Pain is very personal; two people can have the same type and amount of pain and have very different reactions to it.
Pain is usually considered chronic when it lasts more than three months. Many people with traumatic ...
What are irritability, anger, and aggression and how can you recognize them?
Irritability is an emotional state in which a person has a short temper and is easily annoyed or angered. As a result, small things can lead to harsh reactions (for example, snapping at family or friends). This is most ...
Are you thinking about getting pregnant?
Having a spinal cord injury (SCI) does not affect your ability to naturally become pregnant, carry, and deliver a baby, so your decision to have children is made in much the same way as anyone else. You consider the demands and challenges of parenting and ...
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MSKTC Radio · Memory and Moderate to Severe TBI
Memory and Traumatic Brain Injury
Memory problems are very common in people with moderate to severe TBI.
TBI can damage parts of the brain that handle learning and ...
Introduction
Wheelchair breakdowns can injure wheelchair users and limit mobility and social participation. Poor wheelchair maintenance increases the risk of wheelchair breakdowns and personal injury or death, and increases the costs of medical care. The number of users injured from wheelchair breakdowns doubled from 1991 to 2016.
According to a 2016 study, ...
What does the respiratory system do?
Your respiratory system (or pulmonary system) is responsible for breathing. This system enables you to inhale oxygen into your blood and exhale carbon dioxide. Your body needs the oxygen to survive, and carbon dioxide must be removed to avoid the build-up of acid in your ...