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THE GUARDIAN
216-208-5072 TITTLELAWFIRM.COM
MARCH 2023
THE INVISIBLE EPIDEMIC March Is Brain Injury Awareness Month
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are often thought of by many to be from a severe wound caused by a dangerous, life-threatening accident, but the truth is, TBIs can come from car crashes, medical malpractice cases, or any other personal injury case. These cases are so misunderstood and challenging because, as the saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Some of the folks who suffer from a TBI might look perfectly fine on the outside, with no obvious symptoms that they’re injured, when in reality, they could be really struggling. That’s why brain injuries are often referred to as an “invisible epidemic” because, from someone’s appearance, you can’t tell if there’s been an injury to their brain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “An estimated 1.7 million TBIs occur in the United States annually,” and car accidents are the leading cause. That’s why I wanted to recognize Brain Injury Awareness Month by talking about what a TBI can look like in a personal injury case and what you can do if you think you might have one. It’s important to know that the severity of TBIs really runs the gamut. On one extreme, there are injuries like brain hemorrhages that require surgery. On the other, there are things like concussions. Both are considered traumatic brain injuries, and both can impede the flow of your everyday life. And when it comes to treatment, doctors do an okay job treating brain injuries, when they are diagnosed. When I review cases involving TBIs, one of the first things I look to see is if the injury was diagnosed in the original care. For example, some people who have been in a car crash might have
more apparent injuries when they arrive at the hospital, like broken bones or severe back pain. So when they mentioned that they also have a headache, the staff might dismiss it while focusing on the other injuries and neglect to include it in the records. Or, perhaps, the hospital performs a CT scan, which returns normal and notes that no apparent injury was found. The symptoms of TBIs are also sometimes hard to identify immediately after an accident, but typically include:
ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM A BRAIN INJURY CAN JOIN HANSONHOUSE, AND YOU CAN VIEW THE RESOURCES THEY OFFER, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO JOIN AT HANSONHOUSEBEREA.COM.
That’s why we’ve become involved with HansonHouse, a Traumatic Brain Injury
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Short-term memory loss
Difficulty performing critical tasks and making judgments
Clubhouse that focuses on empowering people who have suffered from TBIs to get their life back with peer-to-peer groups that meet every month. Anyone who has suffered from a brain injury can join HansonHouse, and you can view the resources they offer as well as information on how to join at HansonHouseBerea.com. From a personal injury standpoint, traumatic brain injury cases can be tough, and they require a lawyer who knows how to communicate the issues of the case and find the right doctors to testify. So if you or someone you know has been in an accident and experienced any of the above symptoms, call us at 216-208-5072. We’ll use our previous experience with TBI cases to provide you with top-notch legal representation, so you can focus on your recovery.
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Difficulty with words Visual disturbances Lack of coordination
Inability to perform daily physical movements
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Abnormal movements Weakness in limbs
This inability to immediately diagnose TBIs can lead patients to go months before realizing they have an injury, leaving them without care or proper resources. But sometimes, doctors can officially diagnose a brain injury in the original care; unfortunately, the resources available to the individuals after they leave the hospital are minimal. This is one of the biggest issues clients face with TBIs because while the hospital can perform surgery or provide a couple of therapy sessions, there are no resources to help folks who have suffered from brain injuries try to get back to having some sort of normal life.
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MEET CHELSEA MOSURE! Our Newest Litigation Paralegal
Tittle & Perlmuter is excited to welcome the newest addition to our team: Chelsea Mosure!
But ultimately, Chelsea wanted to return home to Ohio. She wanted more space to be outdoors and had the desire to be closer to family. So, when she came across our job posting on LinkedIn, she decided to apply, and we’re so happy she did! At Tittle & Perlmuter, Chelsea is a litigation paralegal, so she’s seeing what happens in the courts in real time instead of working on what comes before. She says she enjoys the transition because she learns something new daily. When she’s not at work, Chelsea loves biking, swimming, live music, and spending time with her friends. She also has a 7-year-old mini schnauzer named Banksy! Chelsea also loves to travel and has been to every continent except Antarctica — but that’s on her list too.
Chelsea, an Ohio native, comes to us with a background that makes her uniquely suited to her job as a litigation paralegal. First, she’s always loved helping people; her first job was as an elementary special education teacher for 10 years. But after a decade of teaching, Chelsea felt it was time to transition to a new career. She had always been interested in law and felt that with the COVID-19 pandemic, she’d have the time to go to paralegal school and pursue her passion for law. After completing paralegal school, Chelsea worked for a law firm in Manhattan that specializes in mass tort. She was a pre-litigation paralegal and helped the firm with the legal processes before they filed a lawsuit. She’s worked on cases that involved defective drugs, Camp Lejeune, and the e-cigarette company Juul.
Welcome to the Tittle & Perlmuter team, Chelsea. We’re so excited to have you!
Exercising improves our bodies and minds, including mental health, sleep quality, and disease prevention. However, the one downside to exercise that deters some people from engaging is soreness the day after a workout. However, soreness is completely normal! It means your body worked hard to become healthier and stronger. But sometimes, that soreness can be more intense, and the level of discomfort is more severe than a subtle throb. When the discomfort after a workout is unbearable or persists for a few days, this may be a sign of pain from an injury. Telling the difference between an average level of soreness and something more serious can be difficult, especially if someone is starting their fitness journey for the first time. So, let’s set the record straight. Here is how to tell the difference between normal muscle soreness from exercise and pain from a possible injury. SORENESS When we exercise and push our bodies to become stronger, we’re actually making tiny tears in our muscle fibers. This is normal; our muscles become stronger as the body repairs these tears because the fibers become thicker and more powerful. However, this tearing and repairing can make us sore the day after a workout. SORENESS OR PAIN? Knowing the Difference Matters
To identify soreness, recognize that muscles will feel tender, and you may feel an ache when you try to use the muscle while sitting, standing, or lifting something. Typically, this ache is only present when those muscles move again, not at rest. However, the longer these muscles stay static, the tighter the muscles will get as they repair, which makes moving them again painful. So, the critical characteristic here is that soreness is typically present as you force the muscle to move .
Muscle soreness should also only last for 2–3 days and onsets about 24 hours after physical activity occurs.
PAIN Be concerned if the sensation is a more jarring and sharp pain rather than merely soreness with movement. Pain can occur outside the worked muscles, like in the joints or tendons of an affected area. While soreness is a dull ache, pain can feel like a stab with specific movements. Also, pain may be present even when the muscle is not moving. If someone is lying down after a workout and feels pain in their knee, even when not in use, that is pain, not just routine soreness. Pain may last longer than 2–3 days and can happen as you exercise or within 24 hours. Also, while muscle soreness subsides as the muscles move, pain can become more severe when you move the injured area again. If you believe your discomfort is pain and not muscle soreness, consult with your doctor to help identify the injury and outline the next steps you should take to heal.
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TAKE A BREAK
MARCH MADNESS MAKES ITS WAY TO OHIO! Which Games Will Be Played in the Buckeye State? This month, phrases like “buzzer beater,” “bubble teams,” and “brackets” are circulating almost everywhere we go, with many Americans getting swept away by the excitement that is March Madness. The March Madness tournament is a common topic of conversation each year, with 68 NCAA basketball teams fighting to earn their spot in the Sweet 16, the 16 teams that make it past the first weekend. With each week shaving the number of teams by half until only two remain, the excitement surrounding the sport only intensifies as the tournament progresses. Each year, millions of Americans will fill out their own brackets, attempting to correctly predict the winners of each game and beat the 1 in 9.2 quintillion odds of getting it right. In 2022, 10.7 million people tuned in to the tournament — that’s just over 3% of the entire United States. This craze surrounding the sport has made March the least productive month of the year, with fans thinking of nothing but the tournament — even at work! But this year, March Madness is extra exciting for Ohio residents because the First Four round will be played in Dayton at the UD Arena on March 14th and 15th. Then, a First/Second round will be played in Columbus at the Nationwide Arena on March 17th and 19th! The First Four games in Dayton will be on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, and games start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. If you’re interested in creating a bracket to follow along with the teams this year, you can download the official March Madness bracket by visiting NCAA.com/News/Basketball-Men/MML-Official-Bracket/2023- 01-09/2023-NCAA-Printable-Bracket-Schedule-March-Madness!
EASY MARCH MADNESS CHILI
Inspired by MyRecipes.com
Cheer on your favorite team and chow down in minutes with this easy chili recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
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2 lbs ground beef
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2 16-oz cans diced tomatoes
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2 tbsp chili powder
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2 16-oz cans small red beans
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1 tbsp Creole seasoning
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2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
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1 tsp ground cumin
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a deep pot, brown the beef, stirring often.
2. Once beef is cooked, add chili powder, Creole seasoning, and cumin, cooking for 1 minute. 3. Stir in diced tomatoes, beans, and tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. 4. After the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and let chili simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with toppings of choice, like cheese, sour cream, or chives.
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INSIDE
1. What You Need to Know About TBIs
2. Welcome Chelsea Mosure to Our Team!
The Difference Between Muscle Soreness and Pain
3. March Madness in Ohio!
Easy March Madness Chili
4. Allen Tittle’s Medical Malpractice Scholarship
ALLEN TITTLE’S MEDICAL MALPRACTICE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS!
Allen Tittle’s Medical Malpractice Scholarship aims to provide support for those affected by medical malpractice and to raise awareness of this important issue. Allen Tittle’s Medical Malpractice Scholarship is a recurring scholarship awarding $1,000 designed to help one incoming or continuing college student with their tuition costs. This award is a recurring $1,000 scholarship designed to help students with tuition costs. Congratulations to our 2022 winner Kenneth Bisher and runner-up Krishika Sureshwaran!
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