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Risks of Injuries With Seizure Disorder

The risk of an individual with a seizure disorder, such as epilepsy, injuring herself due to a seizure disorder is a lot less common than one may think. A population-based study completed by the Mayo Clinic concluded that seizure-related injuries are infrequent enough that they don't require a person to reduce daily activities in order to avoid injury.

  1. Most Common Injuries

    • The most common injuries reported for individuals that suffer from seizure activity are head trauma and head lacerations that occur as the individual falls or during convulsing. Bruising and abrasions from falling are also common. More than 80 percent of these types of injuries happen during convulsive type seizures.

    Less Common Injuries

    • Injuries that are less common because of seizure activities include dislocated shoulders, concussions, and torn muscles or ligaments. These types of injuries are so uncommon that there have only been seven cases of a bilateral shoulder dislocation since 1966.

    Emotional Stress and Quality of Life

    • Seizure patients can suffer from a vast array of psychological stresses from being embarrassed and afraid to go into public, to clinical depression. The quality of life of an individual that suffers from seizures is usually dependent on the amount of seizure activity and the amount of medication he is required to consume to prevent seizures. It can be a vicious circle. Emotional stress can be a trigger for seizures and the number and severity of seizures can affect his quality of life, increasing emotional stress, depression or other psychological distresses.

    Extended Seizure Activity

    • Extended seizure activity can cause temporary or permanent neurological damage. You may wake up and not be able to use your left hand for several hours after seizure activity. Take your time to recover from the episode. If it is new, or an unusual activity for you, seek medical advice.

    Minimizing Risk

    • It is important for individuals that are prone to seizure activity to practice general safety rules when participating in activities that could cause a hazard. For example, wearing a helmet when biking, skating or climbing.

      Use the buddy system when participating in activities such as swimming or other water sports that could cause serious injury or death if a seizure occurred.

      Keep yourself healthy by getting enough rest, reducing stress in your life, minimizing (preferably omitting) alcohol and recreational drugs, and staying physically fit.

      High risk activities such as driving and operating other machinery should be avoided until the seizure activity is controlled with medication. Extreme care and consideration should be given prior to engaging in these types of activities. Every state has regulations regarding seizure patients and driving. States differ and will require three months to a year of being seizure-free before authorizing driving after a neurologist has recommended suspension.

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