Baytown brain injury victims: could music therapy help you?

Brain injuries are so unpredictable that it can be difficult to know what the future holds or how to treat them. Baytown residents struggling with a traumatic brain injury or side-effects from a concussion may be wondering if there are any alternative therapies that may help.

One treatment being talked about now is music therapy, being used on congressional representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Giffords' music therapist is using techniques intended to trigger memories via music.

Music can be used in a variety of ways with brain injury patients, therapy that is done right there in Texas at places like the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Types of music therapy that can help traumatic brain injuries or the depression that can follow include:

• Using rhythmic music to aid walking and movement;
• Improving speech and voice quality through singing;
• Pain reduction through listening to music;
• Musical improvisations to help with emotional issues.

In Ms. Gifford's case, music therapy was used to help her recall nursery rhyme words, which helps her speech and memory improve. Some researchers believe that music therapy helps all part of the brain after injury, including movement and mood.

Suffering from a traumatic brain injury or concussion in Baytown or another nearby Texas town? Please visit our head injury page for more information, and contact us to discuss your legal options.