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Rehabilitation Therapies

What rehabilitation therapies, including cognitive and physical therapies, help people with traumatic brain injuries?

89.3 FM WRFG

The Shaken Brain with Mark Gilson featuring Elizabeth Sandel, M.D.

Mark Gilson WRFG Atlanta interviews Dr. Sandel. The interview is accompanied by thematic music about the brain and includes a discussion with Dr. Sandel on medical and societal issues related to brain injuries.

94.1 KPFA

Nurse Rona Interviews Dr. Elizabeth Sandel

Nurse Rona Renner of KPFA interviews Dr. Sandel about her book, Shaken Brain. They discuss the many causes of concussions and how patients are best evaluated and treated. She fields questions about the neurodegenerative conditions that are associated with brain injuries, especially repetitive brain injuries.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: PM&R

The Medical Specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

A physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation physician) treats disorders of the muscles, bones, and nervous system, and may practice in inpatient or outpatient settings. Physiatrists usually provide care with other rehabilitation providers such as physical, occupational, and speech therapists, and may work in teams for patients with catastrophic injuries or complex disorders, especially in rehabilitation hospitals.

brain and sleep

Rest Assured: Quality Sleep Supports Recovery From Brain Injury

Sleep disturbances are common after brain injury and require comprehensive evaluation and management. Other sleep disorders such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness are common. Some patients with brain injuries develop sleep apnea, and screening for this disorder is important because of the risk of hypoxia and strokes that lead to additional brain injury.

Dr. Elizabeth Sandel showing brain parts

Brain Injury Medicine: My Journey

Brain injury medicine requires additional training for neurologists, physiatrists, and psychiatrists to become board certified. The field is growing but a shortage of physicians with this specialized training is a challenge for patients to find expert care.

Dr. Andrew Judelson

Concussion in Youth Sports

Dr. Andrew Judelson, a physiatrist and sports medicine physician at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, discusses sports-related concussion evaluation and treatment at his outpatient clinic on Cape Cod.

Pair of combat boots and military helmet on wooden background, close up

TBI in Active Military and Veterans

Military blast injuries can impact the brain, the lungs, the heart, and other organs in the body. Early diagnosis is very important. Dr. Sandel discusses brain injuries in the military with physiatrist Dr. Hetal Lakhani and her patient, Richard Reeves.

Seth Fischer with Dr. Sandel

A Medical Student and Cyclist Tells His Concussion Story

Seth Fischer tells the story of a bicycle-car crash that resulted in his having headaches and other chronic symptoms from what was labeled a mild brain injury or concussion. This is the first of two interviews. In a subsequent interview, Dr. Fischer talks about his recovery, his chronic symptoms, and…

Dr. Maureen Miner

Workers with Concussions

Dr. Maureen Miner is a physiatrist and an expert in brain injury medicine. She discusses her approach to patients with concussion and more severe brain injuries who need specialty care and referral to other specialists for evaluation and treatment.

PTSD

Veterans Can Face Both a Brain Injury and PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder can co-occur with a brain injury in military and civilian populations. Screening tests for PTSD should be used for any patient with a brain injury or suspected concussion. Symptoms for these two conditions can overlap, but all symptoms require management regardless of cause.

Therapist working with young soldier with PTSD

Cognitive Deficits In Veterans After Brain Injury

Cognitive deficits experienced by military personnel and others can be successfully treated with cognitive therapies.

RUSK NYU Langone Medical Center

Dr. Elizabeth Sandel: Former AAPM&R Executive Discusses Critical Elements of the Field

In part one, Dr. Sandel talks about physical medicine and rehabilitation and it’s broad scope. In part two, she discusses her mission to educate the public about brain injuries, including concussion. In part three, she discusses what happens to the brain with concussions and repeated concussions. She ends with a case of a patient with a complex diagnosis after a traumatic event that required the diagnosis in order for the best treatment approaches.

Slate Article

Concussion Alliance Co-Founders Interviewed for Slate Article

More and more journalists are writing about concussion, in many cases because they have had a concussion themselves or have friends or relatives who have experienced one. In March, 2024, Isobel Whitcomb interviewed Concussion Alliance co-founders Conor Gormally and Malayka Gormally for an article in Slate. It is concerning that bad medical advice (“just rest”) is still being given to concussion patients as is clear in Whitcomb’s story.

Abstract brain wave concept

What Is Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy?

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) is an evidence-based approach to addressing multiple cognitive impairments caused by a traumatic brain injury. Restorative CRT strengthens cognitive abilities, and compensatory CRT provides strategies to reduce the impact of deficits.

Close up of woman holding neck in pain

Three Alternative Treatment Modalities to Ease Brain Injury Associated Symptoms

Conventional treatments like medications may not help symptoms after a brain injury. Complementary or alternative treatments may help.

3D x-ray of spine/neck

Check the Neck after a Brain Injury

Whiplash and cervical strain occurs when a person’s head and neck are forced back and forth, injuring soft tissues of the neck. They are common after brain injuries.

3D illustration of person holding head in pain

Evaluating and Treating Headaches After Brain Injury

Headaches are extremely common after a traumatic brain injury, but there are various treatments that vary depending on the phenotype or cause.

Woman with eyes closed holding neck in pain

Post-Traumatic Headaches: Not Just One Type or Treatment

Headaches must be evaluated with a comprehensive history and physical examination. There are many options for treatment, but diagnosis has to be the first step.

Doctor looking at x-ray photo with patient in background

Treatment and Prognosis after a Concussion

Learn about treatments for post-concussion symptoms—including medication, various rehabilitation therapies, neuropsychology, and potentially some complementary therapies—as well as factors related to longer concussion recovery times.

Excercise-Sleep-Time To Heal from TBI

3 Things to Do to Allow Your Brain to Recover More Quickly After Brain Injury

After a concussion, people need good sleep patterns, and they also need to resume activity and exercise to aid recovery. Activities with concussion risk should be avoided, however.

Woman looking pensively from apartment

Mood Disorders Such as Depression Can Complicate a Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury can be associated with depression or another mood disorder, possibly because of the disruption of brain chemicals.

Mother and smiling daughter in doctor's office

Will My Child Experience Long-Term Consequences from a Concussion or other Brain Injury?

Although most children recover fully after a single concussion, others have long-term effects. Of course, prevention is the best strategy, but if a concussion occurs, parents must understand a brain injury has occurred.

X-ray of child and headache

How Long Will It Take for My Child to Recover from a Concussion?

Children can experience a range of symptoms after concussion. They require individualized treatments and strategies for returning to activities and to school. A physician with training and experience in treating concussions must provide early interventions and follow-up, regardless of how long recovery takes.

Brain Injury Talk Radio

Shaken Brain with Dr. Elizabeth Sandel on Recovery Now with Kim Justus

Dr. Sandel discusses brain injury medicine, a new subspecialty of medicine, and getting the best care after a concussion or more severe brain injury in the US. Kim Justus discusses her own history in regards to brain injury and her struggles to find care. She also discusses Dr. Sandel’s book, Shaken Brain, as a helpful resource for listeners.

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