I am Melanie Wienhoven and doctors told me I had to learn to live with my debilitating post-concussion symptoms. Refusing that reality, I built my own recovery method and made a full recovery from post-concussion syndrome 6 years after injury. Now, my team and I are on a mission to share hope, tools, expertise and recognition with you, so you can recover much faster than I did. You are not alone!
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I am Melanie Wienhoven and doctors told me I had to learn to live with my debilitating post-concussion symptoms. Refusing that reality, I built my own recovery method and made a full recovery from post-concussion syndrome 6 years after injury. Now, my team and I are on a mission to share hope, tools, expertise and recognition with you, so you can recover much faster than I did. You are not alone!
Neck pain after concussion is a very common symptom. If you suffer from neck pain, learning about the muscles and nerves that may be causing the pain in this episode may be very helpful for you. However, if you don’t have any neck pain, or just minor complaints like stiffness, there may still be something going on with the muscles and nerves in your neck. That is why, PT Sarah Etheridge says, it is always important to check the neck after concussion.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/ Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/neck-pain-after-concussion Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of content
[02:04] International Brain Injury Association conference [03:34] Neck pain after concussion [04:25] Muscles to check after concussion [06:17] Nerves to check after concussion [09:03] Occipital neuralgia
Concussion biomarkers are needed. That is because the current imaging machines like MRI and CT more often than not can not visualize a concussion. This often results in doctors saying that there is nothing wrong with us, or that the symptoms we have are psychological. If a simple blood test can show you sustained a concussion and are at risk for lingering symptoms, concussion care would improve very much. Eric Thelin takes us on a deep dive into the realm of concussion biomarkers.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/ Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-biomarkers-eric-thelin-episode-3/ Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents [04:06] Finding brain injury biomarkers [05:10] Concussion biomarkers [07:47] Concussion and inflammation [10:08] Concussion awareness
In this second episode with Eric Thelin, we will discover how he is developing a checklist for Swedish GPs to help them know better what to do with patients after sustaining a concussion. He also shares and explains the way sport concussion return to activity protocols are helpful to apply in medical settings.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-guidelines-eric-thelin-episode-2/ Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:42] Post-concussion guidelines [06:06] No concussion guidelines in medical school [07:42] Rest after concussion [09:17] Return to sports concussion guidelines [11:36] Concussion guidelines for hospitals [13:25] Sport concussion patients
Eric Thelin is knee-deep in traumatic brain injury research. He and his colleagues are developing a way to provide better concussion care from the first moment a patient sees a doctor. Have a listen!
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/ Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/traumatic-brain-injury-research-eric-thelin-episode-1/ Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents: [02:05] Eric Thelin [07:08] Traumatic brain injury research [08:53] Concussion diagnosis needs to improve [12:05] Concussion awareness
Concussion care is often not compassionate. On the contrary, patients report to Professor Tenovuo that they don’t feel heard by their doctors. After seeing over 6000 patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), he has learned a lot about the symptoms and problems we cope with.
In this 4th episode with Professor Tenovuo, we speak about how concussion care is lacking, and how it could be improved. If you haven’t yet listened to episode 1, 2 and 3, please find them right here: Episode 1: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-symptoms/ Episode 2: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-protocols/ Episode 3: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-stress/
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-care-prof-tenovuo-part-4/ FollowLifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:42] Compassionate concussion care [06:29] Neuroplasticity [08:53] Concussion care is lacking [11:59] Concussion & family members [13:45] Conclusion: Professor Tenovuo
Concussion and stress: they share the most logical connection for all of us who suffer from lingering concussion symptoms. However, in my experience, not much has been written or said about it. It feels like another taboo surrounding living with concussion symptoms.
Well, let’s blow that taboo wide open! Professor Tenovuo shares 3 major sources of stress after concussion, that create even more and bigger problems. That is how we end up discussing post-concussion depression, too. You will learn how this is more normal than you might think. Mental health after traumatic brain injury is a big thing, and it cannot get enough attention!
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-and-stress-prof-tenovuo-part-3/Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:52] Concussion and stress [07:01] Melanie’s work situation after concussion [08:58] Concussion and depressionI [11:02] Treat post-concussion depression
Post-concussion protocols are lacking. Professor Tenovuo shares how return to play protocols from sports medicine can help, and Melanie shares how she created her own protocol.
Professor Tenovuo shares how the term ‘post-concussion syndrome’ confuses patients and doctors alike, and learn why it is better to say post-concussion symptoms.
Season 2 of the Concussion Stories podcast is here! To kick off this season, I would like to talk about resilience after concussion. Let’s have a closer look at this quote: ’Bloom where you are planted. Don’t curse what you already have.’ Be ready to get inspired and feel empowered in this all new season!
Post-concussion rehabilitation is a specialized field of rehabilitative care that isn’t practiced by a lot of doctors in the world. Dr. Zasler has seen thousands of concussion and post-concussion syndrome patients throughout his career and that qualifies him as a concussion specialist.
In this episode, he talks about the importance of maintaining hope and motivation during rehabilitation. He also shares how improvement is always possible, even 5 or 10 years after injury. This is part 1 of 2 episodes with Dr. Zasler.
Post-concussion rehabilitation is a specialized field of rehabilitative care that isn’t practiced by a lot of doctors in the world. Dr. Zasler has seen thousands of concussion and post-concussion syndrome patients throughout his career and that qualifies him as a concussion specialist.
In this episode, he talks about the importance of maintaining hope and motivation during rehabilitation. He also shares how improvement is always possible, even 5 or 10 years after injury. This is part 1 of 2 episodes with Dr. Zasler.
CENTER-TBI is one of the largest research projects studying traumatic brain injuries (TBI) worldwide. Concussions and post-concussion syndrome are TBIs, so that is why their work is so interesting to us.
This is the 3rd of 3 episodes covering the CENTER-TBI convention that took place on September the 30th and October the 1st of 2022 in Antwerp, Belgium. I am grateful to have been invited to join the brain injury researchers and to relay all I heard and experienced to you.
Traumatic brain injury research is booming, and that is just what is needed to transform post-concussion patient care. As Andrew Maas said in the previous Concussion Stories episode covering the CENTER-TBI 2022 convention: “We are failing patients”.
As you probably know, research takes a long time to translate into new traumatic brain injury (TBI) protocols and therefore: better care for you. However, what you can get right now, is a look behind cutting-edge traumatic brain injury research and meet some of the researchers who dedicate their careers to setting post-concussion care right after having it go wrong for so long. This Concussion Stories episode is here to share their good energy with you!
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the medical term for concussion and for post-concussion syndrome. The confusing thing is that concussions have been classified this way historically. However, new concussion research has found that it’s incorrect to call concussions “mild” brain injuries.
That’s why the CENTER-TBI research group made changing post-concussion protocols a major point. I want to show you that thought leaders, researchers and doctors have your back. You are not alone in this!
Post-concussion care is long past due for an overhaul! That’s Professor Nada Andelic’ strong statement, backed by the holistic system of care she and her colleagues have already implemented at the medical center of the University of Oslo.
In this Concussion Stories episode, Professor Andelic shares her vision about comprehensive healthcare Melanie, and points out problems with and solutions for gender inequality, medical help with returning to work and psychological recovery from post-concussion syndrome.
Before we start, I’d like to explain 2 terms we mention a lot. mTBI or mild traumatic brain injury is just another term for concussions. CENTER-TBI is one of the 3 largest ongoing research projects worldwide researching traumatic brain injuries, and concussions are traumatic brain injuries. So CENTER-TBI is a very important study that I track for you and professor Andelic is involved in it.
Post-concussion syndrome causes sleep problems for many of us. What is the reason behind this, what processes cause sleep disorders after sustaining a traumatic brain injury? Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia explains in this Concussion Stories episode.
Before he does that, he talks about the absolute and essential need for medical professionals to give hope to patients with a traumatic brain injury - especially to those of us who experience a prolonged concussion or post-concussion syndrome. There are a lot of reasons for hope when it comes to complete recovery from a mild traumatic brain injury (this is a concussion)!
TBI (traumatic brain injury) severity is currently classified as severe, moderate and mild traumatic brain injury. According to Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, these severeness levels are misleading.
It is true that severe brain injuries are often life-threatening and they are therefore a severe injury. On the other end of the spectrum, mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions) are expected by people to be mild.
However, about 50% of people with a mild traumatic brain injury have not fully recovered 6 months after injury. There is nothing mild about a concussion.
Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia pleads for changing the way the medical system currently ranks TBI severity. What follows is the transcript of 1 out of 2 Concussion Stories episodes with this outspoken expert involved in leading research on traumatic brain injury.
Brain injury healing is a process. As all of us know, it’s just as much a psychological as it is a physiological process. In this Concussion Stories episode, brain injury survivor Nick Mercer shares his story. From post-injury depression to accepting and adapting his mindset: Nick shares his journey. You may know Nick from Concussion Talk, his podcast about traumatic brain injury recovery.
What to do with the advice to rest your brain after sustaining a concussion? A lot of us still get this advice, and a lot of us are confused about it. Because we notice it doesn’t work, and even leaves us feeling worse than before. Where does this advice come from, and more importantly: what to do with it? Professor Michael McCrea is an absolute authority on traumatic brain injury (concussions and post-concussion syndrome are traumatic brain injury). He shares from his experience and insight based on 2 massive American research projects involving both civilians and military service members.
Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, means the ability of the brain to form and reorganize new connections, also after injury. If you want to understand why you need an active approach toward post-concussion syndrome recovery, you need to understand neuroplasticity. And who better to learn about neuroplasticity from than Professor Sitskoorn? As the author of numerous books on this topic, you could say “Neuroplasticity” is her middle name. Together with Melanie, she completely brings the topic to life in this episode of Concussion Stories!
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/neuroplasticity-professor-sitskoorn/
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Lifeyana Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
00:45 Professor Sitskoorn 06:19 Neuroplasticity: how it works 12:31 Neuroplasticity after a concussion 21:19 Neuroplasticity and brain injury
I am Melanie Wienhoven and doctors told me I had to learn to live with my debilitating post-concussion symptoms. Refusing that reality, I built my own recovery method and made a full recovery from post-concussion syndrome 6 years after injury. Now, my team and I are on a mission to share hope, tools, expertise and recognition with you, so you can recover much faster than I did. You are not alone!
