When a rocket-propelled grenade struck her helicopter in Afghanistan in 2011, Army Staff Sgt. Beth King sustained a traumatic brain injury and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Following the event, she experienced headaches, difficulty concentrating, and problems moving around.
King’s story in the A Head for the Future video series shares how she overcame balance issues and learned to pedal a recumbent bicycle and went on to win a gold medal in cycling at the 2019 Warrior Games.
King’s story illustrates the critical role collaboration plays among the Defense Health Agency’s centers of excellence in improving recovery from a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
“Patients often have comorbid conditions such as headache, vertigo, dizziness, and visual disturbances. The joint efforts of the TBI, Psychological Health, Vision, and Hearing Centers of Excellence allow us to cover all aspects of care and management with these unique cases,” said Gary McKinney, chief of clinical practice and clinical recommendations at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE) in Silver Spring, Maryland. The centers of excellence are divisions of the Defense Health Agency Research and Development Directorate.