"Blast Injury Is Not Always Something You Can See, but It Affects Every Second of Daily Life"

Omer Reinhold, a Givati Brigade soldier, began suffering from dizziness, memory problems, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances before realizing that the symptoms he was experiencing were a direct result of a blast injury he sustained during combat in the field—a missile that exploded just a few centimeters above his head.

Omer’s injury does not bleed, cannot be seen on an X-ray, and leaves no external mark, but it is there and severely affects his cognitive and emotional functioning.

“There are many people who, as far as I know, experienced one kind of blast event or another, returned to combat, and then went to a mental health officer and were told they had post-traumatic stress disorder, because that is what people are familiar with,” Omer shares.

“I really did not believe that physiotherapists and psychologists could make any difference, and then, when I started treatment at Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital, I suddenly discovered a whole new world. The professional staff are the most personal, the warmest, and the most supportive. They built a program for me that simulates situations that challenge both the body and the mind, in order to trigger the symptoms and then teach the body how to cope with them.

“I am going through this now, every day, but I think that once all the fighting is over, more and more soldiers with similar symptoms will begin to emerge and will not understand what is happening to them. It is not a widely discussed phenomenon, but it is very important to understand it and treat it, because a blast injury is not always something you can see, but it affects every second of daily life.”