FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – The Fort Cavazos Intrepid Spirit Center held its 8th Annual Open House for post and surrounding community leaders, beneficiaries, and current and prior patients 22 March.
The ISC has helped many Service Members with treatment of long term affects from brain injuries and see improvements with many patients.
“The Ft. Cavazos open house can help the community, beneficiaries, and active duty service members see the growth and advancement of TBI care since our grand opening in 2016,” said Scot Engel, director ISC.
By having providers from our medical, pain management, behavioral health, rehab, and research sections highlighting their specialty care expertise and sharing lessons learned through research and clinical practice helps us all understand the complexity and growing state of the science around TBI, while assuring all stakeholders that our service members are receiving the most cutting edge treatment for the multiple symptoms associated with TBI, he added.
Visitors toured the different sections of the ISC and learned how each section functions and supports each other, and what they provide Service Members while being treated.
“An individual who has suffered one or more TBI’s in the past may demonstrate chronic symptoms that are unique to the individual. These symptoms are most typically fall under one of these trajectories: Migraine (headaches, light/sound sensitivity, nausea); Cervical Pain (neck pain); Vestibular (dizziness and/or balance problems); Cognitive Fatigue (concentration, attention, memory); Mood (anxiety, depression, Sleep disturbances); Visual (blurry vision, poor depth perception),” said Kyle Reid, physical therapist, ISC. “Each individual may have one or more of the above-mentioned symptoms which is why a multi-disciplinary approach like we have here at the ISC will maximize each patient’s overall outcome.”
Specifically, as a physical therapist I see large improvements with my patient’s balance, functional mobility as well as a reduction in headaches and dizziness, he added.
ISC staff stressed the importance of making beneficiaries aware that there are providers that specialize in treating TBI and can provide thorough evaluations to determine if the individual requires treatment. They also stressed that if a person has had one more concussions in the past they may be suffering from symptoms that they don’t have to live with and that resources are available.
“Recognizing the uniqueness of each patient and injury, our approach prioritizes a thorough assessment to rule out alternative causes for these symptoms, and our goal is to understand the individual’s circumstances and focus on understanding each service member's goals for regaining a sense of normalcy,” said Bernadette Sakai, clinical psychologist, ISC. “Both subjective self-reports and objective assessments indicate noticeable improvements in mood regulation, sleep quality, pain management and enhanced awareness of the impact of traumatic experiences among Service Members participating in our program and individual therapy.”
Chiropractic care is also offered through the ISC as a natural, drug-free holistic approach to healthcare.
Chiropractors diagnose and treat neuro-musculoskeletal conditions of the spinal column and extremities to prevent disease and correct abnormalities of the body.
Manual or mechanical osseous and soft tissue manipulation, heat/cold therapies, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, Alpha Stim, myofascial release therapy and spinal traction are some of the treatments offered.
“Chiropractic short-term goals are to decrease pain, edema and muscle spasms that may exist, help to restore joint and related soft tissue function, and to improve range of motion,” said Dr. Stacey Johnson, chiropractor, ISC.
Long term goals are for service members to perform their activities of daily living at a pain-free level, physically function according to their MOS requirements, and in addition, service members are counseled on recommended lifestyle changes in nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management and ergonomic factors in ADLs to achieve better outcomes, Johnson added.
Throughout the tour each staff section stressed the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of TBI, and that seeking assistance from medical providers is essential.
“TBIs are manageable and early identification of TBI allows for prompt intervention, resulting in improved outcomes. Various services and resources exist to support Service Members and their families throughout their journey of TBI recovery,” said Sakai.