Brain Storm Episode 2: How to Treat an Injured Brain

Sep 9, 2024

Rebecca Rusch, a 7x World Champion adventure athlete and founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, shares her harrowing journey to recover from persistent post-concussive symptoms. Dr. Alicia Trbovich, a neuropsychologist specializing in sport-related concussions, discusses modern treatment strategies and the importance of personalized care. They explore alternative therapies, the emotional toll of recovery, and the complexities of cognitive impairments. Together, they highlight the need for innovative, research-backed approaches to effectively support concussion recovery.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Recovery: The Journey After a Brain Injury

02:26 • 3min

Exploring Alternative Therapies for Brain Recovery

05:48 • 6min

Navigating Brain Injury Recovery

11:19 • 10min

Journey to Brain Recovery

21:07 • 9min

Navigating Concussion Recovery

30:26 • 15min

Revolutionizing Concussion Recovery

45:31 • 18min

Navigating Headaches and Concussions in Sports

01:03:50 • 9min

Navigating Concussion Recovery: Insights and Hope

01:13:13 • 3min

Navigating Concussion Recovery

01:16:23 • 4min

Navigating Recovery from Brain Injury

01:20:36 • 3min

What do you do when you hit your head? That can be a hard question to answer. Even when people go to the doctor or ER, the actual advice can be thin, amounting to: take it easy and let your brain heal. Sometimes that works. But for nearly half of concussion sufferers, symptoms like depression, headaches, fatigue, and cognitive impairment can linger for months. And for some, like Rebecca, they can hang on for years. When that happens, people get desperate and start trying anything that friends, family, Google, or various health practitioners recommend, which is exactly what Rebecca did. In this episode, we follow Rebecca’s desperate journey to resolve her persistent post-concussive symptoms. We also sat down with Dr. Alicia Trbovich, a neuropsychologist at the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program who studies the management of sport-related concussion and neuropsychological assessment following mild traumatic brain injury to talk about how experts are actively treating concussion and concussion symptoms today.

Alicia Trbovich, PhD, presented on Domain Targeted Treatment and Rehabilitation Following Sport Related Concussion at the 12th Annual Sports Neuropsychology Society Symposium earlier this year. Dr. Trbovich is a neuropsychologist at UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program and Assistant Professor and Fellowship Research Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. You can learn more about her and her work at Alicia Trbovich, PhD.

Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, 7x World Champion, and 2x Hall of Fame inductee for mountain biking and gravel cycling. She is also a keynote speaker, the bestselling author of Rusch to Glory, and an Emmy Award winner for the documentary Blood Road about her journey to find the spot where her father, a US Air Force pilot, was shot down during the Vietnam War. She is also the founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution. You can learn more about her and her work at rebeccarusch.com.

Get Our Active Women’s Guide to Concussion: https://www.womensperformance.com/brain-storm-resources

Episode 2 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-2-podcast-resources

Episode 1 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-1-the-crash-podcast-resources

Momentous: Use code BRAINSTORM to get 20% off your first order at https://www.livemomentous.com/