Brain injuries are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or overlooked entirely
23 March 2025, 11:11
Brain injuries are often called the “invisible injury” – devastating in impact but frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or overlooked entirely.
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I know this all too well. My own experience with traumatic brain injury (TBI) after a 2010 cycling accident reshaped my life in ways I never imagined. Despite years of resilience, adaptation, and sheer determination, it has only been recently – with access to groundbreaking new scans – that I have gained a full understanding of what my brain endured and how it could have been managed differently.
This experience has not only been personal but has also illuminated the gaps in our approach to brain injuries. It’s time for change. We must rethink how we diagnose, support, and advocate for those affected by TBIs, ensuring that no one has to navigate the journey blindly as I once did.
The Power of Early Diagnosis
When I recently underwent advanced brain scans, the results were astonishing. These cutting-edge imaging techniques revealed the extent of my brain damage – details that standard MRI scans had missed for over a decade. The scans detected damage to 54 out of 77 white matter tracts and identified patterns of abnormal brain activity affecting my cognitive function. Suddenly, all the unexplained struggles — my sensitivity to noise, my difficulty recognising faces, my struggles with social interactions — made sense. This insight came with an overwhelming sense of frustration. If I had access to these scans 15 years ago, my life, and that of my family, could have been markedly different. We could have understood what we were dealing with rather than feeling lost and confused. We could have implemented strategies rather than suffering in silence. Early diagnosis doesn’t just provide medical clarity; it provides empowerment, allowing individuals and families to adapt rather than simply endure.
A System That Needs Fixing
One of the most shocking realities of my journey has been how little support there was at the time of my injury. When I was discharged from hospital, the only guidance given to my then-wife and me was that 85% of marriages don’t survive a brain injury. That was it. No roadmap for recovery. No access to specialist rehabilitation. No mention of advanced diagnostic tools that might help me understand what I was facing. The system left me to figure it out on my own, and in doing so, it left my family to bear the weight of uncertainty.
This is where change must happen. Brain injury patients should not have to wait years — sometimes decades — to understand their condition. Advanced scanning techniques should be a standard part of brain injury assessments, ensuring that no one is left to struggle without answers. The technology exists, yet it remains inaccessible to so many who need it most.
Legal Support and Rehabilitation: A Lifeline for Brain Injury Patients
Fortunately, some organisations are pushing for progress. Coulthursts, the UK’s only law firm dedicated exclusively to brain injury claims, is one of them. The approach put in place by co-founders Dr Richard Newland, a former GP, and specialist brain injury solicitor Philip Coulthurst, does not solely focus on securing compensation for those affected by TBI (although that is obviously a key aim), it’s also about ensuring that individuals get the rehabilitation they need as early as possible. Crucially, Coulthursts covers the costs of rehabilitation — including cutting-edge scans —before any legal claim is settled. This approach puts patients first, ensuring that support isn’t dependent on financial barriers.
Reflecting on my own experience, I can’t help but think how different my recovery could have been had I had known about services like theirs at the time of my accident. Instead, I had to wait for my compensation claim to settle before I could afford private rehabilitation. For so many people, that wait means crucial recovery time is lost. We must do better.
The Road Ahead: Advocating for Better Access
My recent journey with these new brain scans has reinforced an urgent need for change. Brain injury patients deserve access to advanced diagnostic tools, early intervention, and specialist rehabilitation. We must move beyond the outdated notion that if an MRI scan appears normal, a patient is fine. We now have the technology to see the full picture, and it’s time to make that technology available to all who need it. This is not just about medicine; it’s about dignity, understanding, and support. Every year, 1.4 million people in the UK attend hospital with head injuries. How many of them leave with unanswered questions? How many are struggling without knowing why?
World Head Injury Awareness Day (20th March) has been a chance to highlight these issues, but awareness alone is not enough. Action is needed — by medical professionals, legal experts, and policymakers — to ensure that brain injury patients are given the best possible chance at recovery. The tools exist. Now, we must fight to ensure they are used. For me, understanding my brain injury has been life changing. I hope that by sharing my experience, others won’t have to wait 15 years for the clarity they deserve. It’s time for a new approach — one that puts early diagnosis, expert rehabilitation, and patient well-being at the forefront of brain injury care.
James Cracknell OBE was writing in his capacity as ambassador for Coulthursts, The Brain Injury Lawyers.
James’ film detailing his discovery of the latest scanning technology – and the results of his own new scans – can be viewed here.
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