Maj. Gen. David M. Hodne, second from left, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson; retired Army Gen. Richard A. Cody, director of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, center; and Lt. Col. George B. Lambos, a patient, participate in the ribbon cutting during the Intrepid Spirit Center dedication ceremony July 13, 2022, at Fort Carson, Colo. (Eric E. Parris/Fort Carson Public Affairs)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — Memory loss, anger, and pain were among the traumatic brain injury symptoms written across a mask displayed in the lobby of a Fort Carson clinic dedicated to treating brain injuries.
The mask was one of 13 made by those receiving care at the Intrepid Spirit Center. The stand-alone clinic near Evans Army Hospital opened in 2022 and serves active-duty troops, veterans and their adult family members with a range of services such as yoga, art, music, and physical therapy, among other services to help them heal and test their abilities. Some interactive tools in the clinic help to test patients’ balance, ability to drive and reaction times.
Brain injuries can cause a variety of symptoms such as mood changes, memory changes, physical performance changes, dizziness and headaches, said the center’s deputy director Dr. Brian Kelly. The symptoms aren’t always immediately apparent and can worsen slowly through repeated exposure to blasts.
While the military screens troops for injuries, it also emphasizes education so they can seek care, he said.
“We really do rely on the patients advocating for themselves,” Kelly said.
When service members seek care they typically see success, with the center returning more than 90% of them to active duty, he said.
Patients can see some of the best outcomes if they seek care within the first three months, particularly if they take care of themselves by taking steps such as avoiding alcohol and eating well, said Suzanne Martin, a neuropsychologist at the center. Patients can see some deterioration in brain pathways if they wait longer than two years, she said.
One of the tools the center offers is an Interactive Metronome that helps to restore the brain networks that control rhythm and timing, which improves sleep cycles, speech patterns and brain communication.
The metronome emits a steady beat and then provides feedback on whether the patient can accurately keep time to beat.
As they improve their ability to follow the beat, it can help improve the brain’s ability to process information, Martin said, in part because the responds well to the repetition.
“With repetitive challenges it just makes those pathways work automatically,” she explained.
The center also offers music therapy that helps build emotional regulation and attention, among other benefits, said Clare Hogan, a board-certified music therapist.
Art therapy and classes also help patients develop coping tools to ground themselves and help them handle stress, anxiety, anger and irritability, said Caity Razzano, the art therapist.
The mask projects displayed in the center can help patients work through the shift in their sense of self that can happen during a brain injury, with changes such as struggles with memory.
“We use directives like mask-making to explore and express something and maybe resolve something,” Razzano said.
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