Care for Concussions in Afghanistan
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Rachel Oden, a physical therapist at the Concussion Restoration Care Center, Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, treats Capt. Louis Delair, a logistics officer with 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, while Cpl. Joshua Sheets, a team leader with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, performs exercises specific to recovery for concussed patients, April 22. The CRCC opened in August 2010 and helps prevent injured service members from having to return to the U.S. for minor injury treatment. Photo by Cpl. Katherine Keleher
For service members who experience a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury, there is hope for a fast recovery and return to their unit thanks to the Concussion Restoration Care Center on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The center, which opened in August 2010, is a new concept for Regional Command Southwest.
“We’re in the proof of concept stage,” said Navy Cmdr. Earl A. Frantz, the officer in charge of CRCC. “Right now concussion is the number one battle injury, and muscle skeletal is the number one injury on base. We specialize in treating both of those. We have all these specialties under one roof, so we can care for the injured and allow them to get back to the fight.”
Before the CRCC opened, injured service members here typically sent back to the U.S. for treatment. This not only took them out of the battle, but cost money and lowered morale.
“It’s been shown in many studies that if you send them home to the rear it’s emotionally and physically detrimental to them,” explained Frantz, of Petoskey, Mich. “Marines can’t do that. It makes them feel guilty knowing their unit and their brothers are still over here fighting and they’re healed up back home. It can lead to depression, sleeping problems, excessive drinking and other things.”
To allow concussed Marines the opportunity to stay in Afghanistan, the clinic offers concussion care, sports and family medicine, mental health care, physical and occupational therapy, and acupuncture.
“We offer so many things here so we can concentrate on keeping the troops here,” Frantz explained.
Over the last eight months, CRCC has maintained a 97.7 percent return to battle rate, proving their concept to be effective.
“This place is definitely worth coming to,” said Lance Cpl. Michael J. Politowicz, a combat engineer with Combat Logistics Battalion 2. “They provide you so many things. When I first got out of the hospital I was scared to get back to the fight. As my concussion healed and I continued my therapy, I was able to think more clearly and act as a Marine.”
Politowicz recently survived an improvised explosive device blast in the Sangin District of Helmand province. When the blast detonated, Politowicz landed three meters away on his head, causing a concussion.
The people in the CRCC are passionate about their jobs and are here to help, continued Politowicz, of Detroit. They are here to get Marines back to where they were before their injuries.
“Before I left the hospital I couldn’t close my hand, and after coming here for a few weeks I’ve really improved. I can almost completely open and close my hand,” he added.
While treating injured service members is the main focus for the CRCC, the staff there offers more.
“It puts a routine back in your life,” Politowicz said. “When I first got injured all I wanted to do was go home. I didn’t have a routine, and I had really bad anxiety. Coming here gives you people to talk to and a routine.”
While the CRCC is still considered a work in progress, it will be moving to a larger facility in the upcoming weeks.
DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Katherine Keleher
Table of contents for TBI
- Frontline of Assessing Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
- Privately funded TBI treatment center opens at Bethesda
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic
- Operational Stress Control and Readiness Program
- Care for Concussions in Afghanistan
- By the Numbers – Traumatic Brain Injuries in the Military
- Sharana medics open new MTBI recovery center
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Concussion Restoration Care Center
