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Rehabilitation Therapies
What rehabilitation therapies, including cognitive and physical therapies, help people with traumatic brain injuries?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
Cognitive Deficits In Veterans After Brain Injury
Cognitive deficits experienced by military personnel and others can be successfully treated with cognitive therapies.
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.
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