Since 2017 the 25th March marks Functional Neurological Disorder Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and funds to better understand this complex condition that often goes misunderstood and sadly sometimes misdiagnosed.
What is Functional Neurological Disorder?
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a brain network disorder. It describes a problem with how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body. This impacts on how the body responds to different tasks such as movement, control and attention.
It is often helpful to think of your brain as a computer. In someone who has FND there is no damage to the hardware, or structure, of the brain but it is the software, or program running on the computer that isn’t working properly.
Conventional tests such as MRI brain scans are usually normal in patients with FND, unless they have another neurological condition. Anyone at any age can receive a diagnosis of FND.
What are the symptoms of FND?
FND can cause lots of different problems. People might have trouble with their memory and concentration, experience feelings of confusion and disorientation and often feel very tired. They can suffer feelings of numbness in different parts of their body, pain, weak limbs, fits, and muscle spasms. Some people struggle to walk or move, have problems with their eyesight, or suffer from speech problems, such as slurring their words. They might also suffer from loss of balance. Basically, Functional Neurological Disorder can affect how your brain and body work in many ways as it impacts on how different parts of the brain communicate with each other and other parts of the body. There is no “standard presentation ” of symptoms for it so no two patients with FND will express identical symptoms.
The duration of FND varies significantly from person to person. For some individuals’ symptoms may be short-lived, whereas for others it can become a chronic condition. According to data of The Brain Charity, more than 70% of FND patients experience continuing or deteriorating symptoms after one year, and more than 70% are the same or worse after 10.
What causes FND?
The exact cause of FND is unknown and multiple risk factors can contribute to the development of the disorder.
Psychological disorders and stressful life events, both recent and in childhood, may be risk factors for developing the condition in some patients, but they rarely provide a full explanation for the cause of the condition and are absent in many patients. Studies have shown that in some people suffering a physical injury or trauma linked to a road traffic accident or an infectious illness can be triggering factors.
There are many other factors that can make patients more susceptible to FND including having another neurological condition or experiencing chronic pain, fatigue or stress. However, some people with FND have none of these risk factors.
Treatment
There are treatments available that can manage and improve FND. These multi-disciplinary treatments include rehabilitation therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychological therapy which aim to improve peoples’ ability to carry out everyday activities.
Many of these treatments are designed to ‘retrain the brain’. Some people with FND benefit a lot from treatment and may go into remission. However, other people may continue to suffer from FND symptoms despite treatment.
How can Enable Law help?
At Enable Law we represent many clients suffering from FND following an accident. We are aware of what a debilitating condition this can be and the importance of obtaining the right treatment and support. Being specialists in brain injury claims, we have an excellent network of medical experts and rehab professionals we work with and are best placed to support clients with very complex needs. We have a track record of successfully obtaining funding from defendants for specialist FND treatments as part of client rehabilitation and are at the forefront of litigating complex personal injury cases where FND is one of the main injuries suffered.
If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury as the result of someone else’s actions or negligence we may be able to help you. To speak to a member of our dedicated team call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can give you a call back at a time convenient to you.
