We all know that yoga does some incredible things for bodies: it makes people stronger, it can improve people’s moods, and it can help people lose weight when combined with the right nutrition. But can yoga help victims with traumatic brain injuries recovery more quickly?
Enter Steve Stoner of Hugo, Minnesota. He took a bad fall down a flight of stairs in his home two years ago. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, and the fall put him in the hospital for five months. His wife told NBC News that his injuries were so severe that he had to learn to eat, breathe, walk and talk again.
Two years later, Steve is on the road to recovery, and has discovered that yoga classes are a particular help to him. Yoga forces a focus on physicality and breathing. Some poses focus on balance, others on strength and flexibility, but all types of yoga encourage awareness of your body’s movements, and Steve has taken to this particular therapy very well.
Steve’s balance and coordination are continuously improving, and he and his wife practice at home at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, where yoga is offered as a rehabilitation therapy. Dr. Ronald Tarrel, a neurologist at Noran Neurological Clinic and Abbott Northwestern Hospital, prescribes yoga for his brain injury patients.
Dr. Tarrel said, “You can work on these separate areas that each patient with a brain injury may have- their balance, their strength, their breathing—which is ultimately very important, movement in general, posture, and stability.”
Yoga can ease the symptoms of a TBI
Yoga as a treatment for brain injury is a terrific fit. The practice can be adapted to any skill or strength level, and can accommodate physical illness or injury by modifying movements to reduce strain. The classes work to slowly increase strength, stamina, balance, and emphasize mind-body balance.
Traumatic brain injury can have a variety of symptoms that make traditional exercise difficult or impossible. Significant consequences of TBI can include:
- Changes in behavior or personality. Depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and frustration are common side effects.
- Cognitive difficulties. Memory loss, impaired high level cognitive functions, problems concentrating, and disorientation are very common.
- Physical effects. Attention deficit, impaired speech, headache, and paralysis can result from a serious TBI.
A TBI can have a devastating effect on both the victim and his or her family – but hope can go a long way in easing some of the frustration. For some, yoga classes can provide that needed hope. For others, however, the injuries may require more time and more medical attention to heal. We invite you to visit the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm online or in person at our Nashville, Gallatin or Knoxville offices to learn more.
