What are nervous system injuries?
Nervous system injuries are conditions that affect your nervous system. Your nervous system includes your brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves throughout your body.
Some of the most common diseases of the nervous system are:
- Alzheimer’s disease – affects brain function, memory and behaviour.
- Cerebral palsy – affects the nervous system, muscle control, movement and coordination.
- Stroke – blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts in the brain
- Parkinson’s disease – nerve cells damage that impacts the smooth control of muscles and movement.
There are many more diseases that occur in the nervous system.
How Common Are Nervous System Disorders in Australia?
The US National Library of Health estimates that 43% of the Australian population had been diagnosed with a neurological disorder, among these were commonly stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia, and less commonly motor neurone disease (MND), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease.
What are the causes of nervous system injuries?
Nervous system injuries typically happen due to things such as accidents or sports injuries. Some of the diseases can occur before or during birth and stay with the individual.
What are the symptoms associated with nervous system disorders?
According to Healthline, the symptoms related to a nervous system injury depend on where the trauma occurs:
Injuries to your CNS can include traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
Traumatic brain injury can lead to physical symptoms such as:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Weakness
- Vision loss
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
- It can also sometimes impact cognition, memory, and mood.
Spinal cord injuries can cause symptoms such as:
- Pain
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle weakness or paralysis
You can also injure the nerves in your PNS. This can happen when a nerve is stretched, compressed, inflamed, or lacerated (cut). Symptoms can include:
- Neuropathic pain
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle weakness or paralysis
These symptoms can impair an individual’s ability to work.
Some symptoms can point to a more serious problem. Get medical attention right away if you have any of the following:
- Headache that comes on suddenly and is severe
- Severe headache that happens with fever and a stiff neck
- Sudden problems with your vision
- Sudden weakness or numbness, especially when it impacts only one side of your body
- A first-time seizure
- A head injury
What help is available for Australians with Nervous System Disorders?
Each nervous system disorder has a specific treatment associated with it. Speak to a health professional to determine the best treatment for your disease.
More about Nervous System Injuries in Australia
Financial Help for Nervous System Injuries in Australia
Learn about the different types of nervous system injury claims
