Women's Performance

Brain Storm Episode 1: The Crash

Sep 2, 2024

Rebecca Rusch, a seven-time world champion adventure athlete and founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, shares her harrowing experience of a serious biking accident that led to a concussion. Alongside Christopher Vaughan, a pediatric neuropsychologist, they dive into the complexities of concussion recovery. Rusch discusses her ongoing healing journey, the vital role of specific nutrients like omega-3s, and the shift towards active rehabilitation instead of traditional rest. They emphasize the importance of understanding triggers and personalizing recovery strategies for improved brain health.

01:15:09

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Episode guests

Christopher Vaughan

Rebecca Rusch

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Rebecca Rusch's accident highlights the severe physical and emotional impacts of concussions, emphasizing their often invisible nature and the importance of support from loved ones.

The podcast underscores the necessity of addressing both physical and cognitive symptoms during concussion recovery, advocating for a balanced approach of rest and light activity instead of complete immobilization.

Rebecca's journey reveals the challenges in accessing proper medical care for concussion management, highlighting the need for knowledgeable healthcare providers who can offer tailored treatment plans.

Deep dives

Rebecca Rush's Journey and the Impact of Her Crash

Rebecca Rush, a renowned endurance athlete, recounts her harrowing experience of a serious mountain biking accident. During a solo biking adventure on the Coconino Trail in Arizona, she clipped her handlebar on a rock and was thrown into a ravine, resulting in a concussion and other injuries. Despite her expertise and resilience, this crash marked the beginning of a long and challenging path to recovery that continues to this day. Rebecca's story highlights not just the physical toll of concussion but also the profound emotional and cognitive struggles that can arise from such an injury.

Intro

3min

Journey Through Concussion Recovery

10min

A Biking Adventure Turned Hazardous

19min

Optimizing Health with Targeted Supplements

2min

Rethinking Concussion Recovery

20min

Navigating Brain Recovery: Balancing Rest and Rehabilitation

8min

Evolving Perspectives on Injury Treatment and Recovery

4min

Movement and Recovery in Concussion Care

8min

On November 11th, 2021, on day three of a solo multi-day ride on Arizona’s Coconino Trail, seven-time world champion adventure athlete Rebecca Rusch clipped her handlebars on a protruding rock, launching her from her bike and into a ravine 10 feet below, where she hit the ground with enough force to bounce multiple times, breaking her helmet and badly bruising her ribs. After self-rescuing off the trail, Rebecca did what pretty much everyone told her to do: rest up and recover. Her ribs mended. Her brain, which had clearly been concussed, didn't. Now, going on three years later, we revisit the crash, what she did in the immediate aftermath, and how experts are thinking about the acute phases of concussion recovery today.

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.

This episode also features an interview with Christopher Vaughan, Psy.D., who presented on Rest and the Treatment of Concussion at the 12th Annual Sports Neuropsychology Society Symposium earlier this year. Dr. Vaughan is a pediatric neuropsychologist in the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National Hospital. He is also Associate Professor, in the departments of Pediatrics & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University School of Medicine, and is Fellow and Treasurer, at the Sports Neuropsychology Society. You can learn more about him and his work at Christopher Vaughan, Psy.D.

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

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

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