Introduction to Dysarthria after a Car Accident
A head injury from a car accident is one of the most serious injuries a person can sustain in an accident, and it can be devastating. This type of neurological injury can cause long-term or even permanent damage for car accident victims.
One such potential impact is dysarthria, a speech disorder caused by a brain injury. This nerve damage drastically affects a person’s communication abilities. But what causes dysarthria? What are the symptoms? What can you do if you have slurred speech after a head injury?
What Is Dysarthria?
Dysarthria is defined as “difficult or unclear articulation of speech that is otherwise linguistically normal.” In layperson’s terms, this means that those affected do not have trouble understanding or determining what they want to communicate — on the contrary, they often know what they want to say — but they struggle to express themselves.
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What Is Dysarthria Caused By?
In adults, brain damage caused by a car accident, blunt force trauma, or a stroke typically causes dysarthria. It can be fairly common for people with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) to have the condition. An article from The National Library of Medicine states that:
“Dysarthria and dysphonia that occur after TBI vary depending on the degree of damage; although the prevalence is unclear, it is known to occur in approximately 10% to 65%.”
Why Dysarthria Causes Slurred Speech after a Head Injury from a Car Accident?
Dysarthria occurs when a person sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or serious facial trauma and experiences nerve damage. This damage affects the muscles we use for speech — such as the lips, jaw, and tongue — and leaves them weak or paralyzed. The condition creates a speech disorder that slurs speech. It can also cause a strained, hoarse voice.
Speech issues are possible following a post-accident traumatic brain injury. Some people will also experience dysphagia or difficulty swallowing, which can cause persistent drooling and gurgling when communicating. Unsurprisingly, dysarthria can be incredibly debilitating, frustrating, and perhaps embarrassing, as those affected might not be easily understood by others.
Whether a low-impact or high-impact crash, head injuries from a car crash can range from a mild concussion to a serious skull fracture. Even if the impact was low and you don’t feel any pain, your internal injuries may not be immediately apparent. For example, even in a small car crash, a speech disorder like dysarthria can develop.
Due to the pressure inflicted from a blow to the head, a car collision is one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries. So, it’s important to seek medical attention and consult a doctor if you have difficulty speaking in the weeks after a car accident. A doctor will advise speech therapy sessions if you have trouble speaking, reading, or even listening. Speech therapy will help you improve and regain your normal communication abilities with the best treatment to get you back to good health.
Dysarthria can be caused by many types of car accidents. These include those caused by:
- Distracted or reckless driving
- An airbag that didn’t deploy
- A tire blowout which caused you or another driver to lose control of the vehicle, swerve, and collide.
Despite the safety restraint of a seatbelt, the force of a car collision can cause whiplash. This may violently shake your brain. If your head struck the steering wheel or dashboard, the impact can lead to memory loss and headaches. In these circumstances, speech disorders such as dysarthria are likely.
Dysarthria vs. Aphasia: Know the Difference
We often compare dysarthria to aphasia, a separate communication disorder that also impacts speech. However, the critical difference between the two is that aphasia affects language comprehension. Individuals with aphasia often struggle to understand language. They may also have difficulty reading and writing or remembering the meaning of words.
Those with dysarthria have no problem with comprehension or memory — it’s the output of those processes (communicating with speech) that’s affected.
What Are the Signs of Dysarthria after a Car Accident?
There are several types of dysarthria, each relating to the area where the brain has been damaged after a head injury from a car accident. These include flaccid dysarthria, which is associated with lower motor neuron impairment, and ataxic dysarthria, which relates to the cerebellum and can cause poor coordination and balance. Some car accident victims may have a mix of several types, known as mixed dysarthria.
While each type can present unique symptoms, there are several common signs relating to speech:
- Speech problems like mumbled or slurred speech
- A hoarse or strained voice speech disorder
- Changes in the volume of speech
- A nasal quality to the voice
- Difficulty breathing while talking, resulting in a breathy, exasperated tone
- Monotone speech
- Difficulty speaking in a regular rhythm, with the voice becoming very fast or slow.
However, those are just the physical symptoms. Experiencing slurred speech after a head injury can also have a huge emotional and psychological impact.
Because dysarthria affects a person’s speech — often the go-to method of communicating with others — it can severely derail their self-esteem. To someone with the condition, it can feel humiliating knowing others struggle to understand them. They may go out of their way to avoid social interaction. This can significantly limit their quality of life, robbing them of the confidence to engage in new friendships and relationships or put themselves forward for a job role.
Getting Diagnosed with Dysarthria after a Traumatic Brain Injury
If you are receiving the above symptoms after a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury or facial trauma, see a doctor immediately. After a physical exam and scans, you may see a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who will assess the severity of the speech disorder condition.
During the assessment, you may be asked to:
- Stick your tongue out
- Bite your lower lip.
Neuropsychological tests can ask you to:
- Make various sounds
- Count or repeat phrases
- Talk about a familiar topic
- Read aloud.
Doing these tasks will allow the SLP to examine the movement of your muscles and rule out aphasia, which affects language comprehension.
Other tests alongside a physical analysis can include:
- An MRI Imaging test
- An electromyogram (EMG) to evaluate electrical activity in your nerves
- A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) can cause infections, nervous system disorders, or even cancers of the brain.
Make sure you get assessed by your doctor after a head injury from a car accident.
If you are suffering from slurred speech after a car accident, chat with Patino Law today to discuss your case for compensation in confidence.
Treatment for Slurred Speech after a Car Accident Head Injury
While dysarthria caused by a head injury is non-progressive, which means it won’t worsen over time, treatment can help improve slurred speech caused by a car crash.
Treatment can involve speech therapy with a speech-language pathologist. This professional technique aims to maximize communication with others.
The exact methods used will depend on an individual’s unique needs. Doctors will examine the type and severity of their dysarthria and their specific speech problems. This results in a personalized rehabilitation plan for these symptoms, which began as a result of your car accident.
The plan may include:
- Strategies to improve speech, such as slowing down while talking
- Exercises to improve the volume of speech
- Exercises to strengthen the control of the muscles used in speech
- Repeating specific tasks to enhance neuroplasticity
- Alternative strategies to improve communication, such as using shorter sentences, avoiding complicated words, and gesturing
- Using communication aids, such as an alphabet keyboard.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that speech therapy will improve dysarthria. When treatment is successful, it can take time to learn and adjust to new ways of communicating.
Communicating with Others When You Have Dysarthria
Adapting to life after head trauma can be complex, especially when it affects something so vital as your way of communicating. But there are techniques you can use to improve your ability to communicate and gain a normal life after your car accident injuries. You can gain some independence and confidence that allows you to continue to build relationships without fear of being misunderstood.
You may work on these with the support of a speech-language pathologist, and continued practice will make them easier to do over time.
Use Short Words and Phrases
When you have sudden slurred speech after a head injury, it can feel like you have to learn to speak all over again. Start by using smaller, easier-to-say words and phrases so your conversation partner can easily follow you. You can also do this when changing the conversation to another topic. Instead of jumping straight in, it’s helpful to use a short identifier word, such as “food” for discussing dinner or “dog” for talking about your friend’s pet.
Pause Regularly When Speaking
Pausing doesn’t just let you check if your listener can understand you; it also gives you a little break. Because the facial muscles are weaker, talking will tire you out quickly. By pausing often, you’ll be able to enjoy the conversation for longer.
Use Gestures
We all use hand gestures and facial expressions — and, often, more than we realize — so don’t be afraid to rely on these to get your point across. This might be as simple as pointing at an object or as elaborate as acting out a scene or mimicking an action related to your topic.
Have an Alternative on Standby
There’s no shame in having an alternative method of communication on standby for when you’re struggling to communicate, your listener has trouble understanding, or you need to give your voice a break. Consider carrying a pen and notebook with you so you can write or draw what you want to say, or use a notes app on your smartphone to type out messages.
Communicating with Someone with Slurred Speech after a Car Accident Head Injury
If you’re communicating with someone with dysarthria, it’s important to remember that they can understand you. The person you speak to is trying their best to speak clearly. Having patience and making small changes to how you talk can make a huge difference.
Reduce Distractions
When you’re in a noisy environment, communication can be difficult at the best of times. Find a quiet place — ideally face-to-face instead of over the phone — where you can speak. Whether you’re talking with friends, a loved one, or employees, an environment with no distractions means you can focus all of your attention on the conversation.
Ask Questions
Don’t worry about asking questions if you’re not sure if you understand slurred speech correctly. It’s not helpful to pretend you do; the person you’re speaking to will appreciate your honesty.
It’s helpful to ask yes or no questions, repeat what you think you heard, and ask them to clarify if you’re correct.
Pay Attention to Visual Cues
One method an individual with dysarthria may use to communicate is gesturing. This might include pointing, signing, using different body movements, or writing things down to convey their thoughts. Keep an eye out for these methods and give them your full attention while speaking.
Listeners Should Resist the Urge to Finish Sentences
When you’re speaking to someone with slurred speech or who seems to find it challenging to regulate their breath, you might think you’re being helpful by finishing their sentences. However, this can make them feel more isolated. It’s important to remember that they are doing their best to communicate to you as clearly as possible. It can be frustrating for someone with dysarthria to be cut off and stopped from expressing what they want to say, so above all, be patient and give them space to communicate.
To sum up, the following tips will really help you talk to someone with dysarthria in the long term:
- Be open to telling the person if you need help understanding their speech.
- When engaged in conversations with the person in a group, keep the person involved in the conversation.
- It’s a useful tip to keep a pencil and paper handy should the person wish to use visuals to express thoughts.
- Stick to closed-ended questions that allow the person to answer “yes” or “no.”
FAQs That People Ask about Dysarthria Following a Car Accident
Can we cure dysarthria after a car accident?
Speech therapy is the key treatment for managing dysarthria over time. The disorder’s curability may be limited based on its severity. This is one reason you need long-term compensation to cover ongoing medical bills for your speech disorder condition.
How long does it take to recover from dysarthria?
A full recovery might not be achievable in very extreme circumstances, and recovery times can range from weeks to months.
Are there any medications for dysarthria?
Speech therapy, which aims to improve speech clarity and communication skills via frequent sessions, is the main treatment for dysarthria.
How can family and friends support someone with dysarthria?
Never forget that someone who has dysarthria does understand you. Make an effort to reply as you usually would. The person who has dysarthria can typically understand what you’re saying. Steer clear of talking slowly or louder than necessary. Here, it’s important to avoid inadvertently intimidating the person.
Can You Get Compensation If You Have Slurred Speech Due to a Car Accident Head Injury?
Suppose you or someone you love has sustained a traumatic brain injury following a car accident. And that injury has caused dysarthria or a language disability. In that case, you may be entitled to make a compensation claim. Being diagnosed with dysarthria after a head injury can be devastating and significantly alter the rest of your life. On top of medical bills for tests, scans, and ongoing speech therapy — which can be incredibly costly — you may also lose confidence and be unable to work.
Our Texas personal injury firm’s experienced head injury lawyers fight hard to protect your rights and interests after a personal injury car accident. We believe in providing our clients with a strong voice to make their cases heard and fight for justice against those who have caused them harm. Want to talk to us about an injury caused by a car accident? We’ll guide you through the car accident lawsuit process.
We can help you recover the costs associated with treatment and long-term disability management. Our attorneys will seek compensation for the unquantifiable physical pain, emotional suffering, and overall diminished quality of life that a brain injury causes after a car crash.
Have you experienced signs of dysarthria after a car accident? With Patino Law Firm, you will never pay a fee until we win. Speak to a personal injury attorney to discuss your case of dysarthria after the car accident in confidence. Fill in our contact form or call 855-LAW-NINJA. Our expert attorneys are here to help. Get in touch today.
