However, the recovery process form a major head injury is long and difficult and filled with uncertainty. This uncertainty is frustrating for patients and relatives to cope with and to understand. It also poses difficult problems for those providing care. The brain does not heal itself like a broken arm. It takes time, dedication, and a lot of patience.
Recovery can take weeks, months, or years.
Many spend the rest of their lives trying to regain what they once had. Once the damage is done, its effects may be irreversible. In brain injuries it is difficult to predict the extent and type of damage or the possible outcome. Each traumatic brain injury can be expected to produce a unique set of brain injuries and problems to be solved. For the majority of survivors, the physical problems are usually regarded as less disabling or disruptive as the cognitive and behavioural problems.