Brain Storm Episode 2: How to Treat an Injured Brain

Listen to the Brain Storm Series on the Feisty Women's Performance Podcast

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.

Research and Resource links: 

Concussion Services at UPMC

The Sports Neuropsychology Society (SNS)

Kutcher Clinic for Sports Neurology www.kutcherclinic.com

Understanding the Research around Supplementation and TBI symptom Mitigation from Momentous 

Acute thalamic connectivity precedes chronic post-concussive symptoms in mild traumatic brain injury, Brain, 2023

Active approach with “relative rest” after 24-48 hours (Thomas et al., 2015)

Non-avoidant approach day to day (Suzuki et al., 2023; Silverberg et al., 2018)

Behavioral regulation/lifestyle factors (Raucci et al., 2020; Kontos et al., 2021)

Aerobic and dynamic exercise progression (Leddy et al., 2018; Kochick et al., 2022)

 Understanding the Research around Supplementation and TBI symptom Mitigation from Momentous

Additional Resources: 

Love Your Brain: free resources, training, education, community and support for people affected by brain injury. 

Rev6: exercises and movement program to support fascia and nervous system.

Rebecca’s recommended Meditation apps: Headspace, Calm and Waking Up 

Built to Move Book by Kelly and Juliet Starrett.  Simple ways to get moving and feel better. 10 tests + 10 physical practices = 10 ways to make your body work better.

Breath by James Nestor.  Breathing exercises, the science behind them, and practical usage.

Oura Ring for personal health tracking