BI Tools
Brain Injury Glossary
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- Occipital Lobe
- Region in the back of the brain which processes visual information. Damage to this lobe can cause visual deficits.
- Occupational Therapy
- Occupational Therapy is the therapeutic use of self-care, work and play activities to increase independent function, enhance development and prevent disability; may include the adaptation of a task or the environment to achieve maximum independence and to enhance the quality of life. The term occupation, as used in occupational therapy, refers to any activity engaged in for evaluating, specifying and treating problems interfering with functional performance.
- Oedema
- Increase water content in the brain, causing brain swelling.
- Oligodendrocyte
- A central nervous system glial cell, oligodendrocytes are the site of myelin manufacture for central nervous system neurons (the job of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system). A myelin protein from oligodendrocytes is known to be a potent inhibitor of nerve growth.
- Omentum
- Well-vascularized tissue of the gut believed to reduce swelling and increase blood flow to the spinal cord when transposed to the injured site.
- Open Head Injury
- Trauma to the brain due to the penetration of a foreign object that tears soft tissue and blood vessels in its path.
- Optometrist
- A key member of the rehab team uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat visual disorders resulting from brain injury or defect.
- Orientation
- Awareness of one's environment and/or situation, along with the ability to use this information appropriately in a functional setting.
- Orthopedics
- The branch of medicine devoted to the study and treatment of the skeletal system, its joints, muscles and associated structures.
- Orthosis
- Splint or brace designed to improve function or provide stability.
- Osteoporosis
- Loss of bone density, common in immobile bones.
- Outpatient
- The patient residing outside the hospital but returning on a regular basis for one or more therapeutic services.
