Concussion Talk Podcast

Jim Scott tells his story about how he was severely brain injured in 2006 in his book " More Than a Speed Bump ". I first heard Jim on Dr. Jen Blanchette's podcast, The TBI Therapist . On this podcast he talks about his rehab and recovery in Boston, his incredibly supportive family and about how he connected to a great group of people, even through his initial reluctance, at Krempels Center , a br...

Jim Flood had a severe brain injury in 2005. Victoria Jackman is rehabilitating from brain surgery in January 2023. Together the two have started teaching neuro-divergent children Jim's neuro-defence program, helping to coordinate the brain, mind and body. We talk about brain injury, rehabilitation, exercise, the mind-brain-body connection and more! Check out the program in action in the CBC piece...

Welcome to another fun episode of the Brainiac podcast (episode 8, season 3 woot!) hosted by Melissa Biscardi in affiliation with University of Toronto, Concussion Legacy Foundation. Today we have Part 2 with our friend, concussion advocate, veteran and so much more- Amanda Burrill. In this episode Amanda shares about some life changing concussions that happened and how she found her way to some a...

Dr. Valera is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School , Director of Valera Lab , Psychiatric Neuroscience Division, and Research Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital . We discuss her focus on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) resulting from Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). This is an area of TBI that has been under-studied, especially given the unfortunately high prevalen...

My good friend Goulet was my first ever guest on Concussion Talk Podcast way back in episode 2! Dr. Kristian Goulet, of the University of Ottawa and ActiveCare Medical Group , joins me 148 episodes later to talk about his paediatric practice in Ottawa where he specializes in paediatric sports medicine and concussion. We talk about concussion, concussion management, treatment, and more, stemming fr...

Dr. David Smith is the inventor of the Q-Collar and the author of the recently published "When Heads Come Together" , which describes how the nature has addressed the issue of brain trauma in woodpeckers and rams and how that is applicable to humans. Dr. Smith talks about the biomechanics, biology, physics and hydrodynamics that are at play. At the end we touch on our shared love for water polo! P...

Welcome to the Brainiac podcast! In this episode Brainiac host Melissa Biscardi speaks with Amanda Burrill, a TBI advocate, veteran, chef, adventurist and more. Amanda shares her story, how she became a rescue swimmer, her journey to learning she has a TBI (or a few) and the health providers she has met along the way. Amanda carries such a positive energy, and is always working towards living her...

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Brainiac podcast with host Melissa Biscardi and fantastic guest Sara Pukal. Melissa and Sara have known each other for years, from studying together, working together and now teaching together they are a fun and dynamic duo. In this episode they talk about the benefits of manual therapy to the face and head, movement of the cranial bones (and wh...

Erica, Jennifer and I discuss our brain injuries again! We talk about the life experience of a brain injury, acceptance, opportunity cost, mental health and more! Have a listen and check out the video on Concussion Talk Podcasts's YouTube channel! PLEASE SHARE, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE! The ads are the way I can keep doing these podcasts! Subscribe and leave a review! Visit https://www.concussiontalk.co...

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Brainiac podcast with host Melissa Biscardi. This solo episode is a short and sweet dive into thinking about manual therapy to the head and face as part of concussion recovery. Melissa talks about the importance of a holistic approach that includes manual therapy to affected tissues. Every concussion involves a degree of whiplash and cranial tissue strain. Clinicia...

Amanda Burrill is a U.S. Navy Veteran, a chef, a journalist, a triathlete, a mountaineer and more, but most importantly, Amanda is a brain injury advocate! First brain injured in 2003 after a fall aboard a ship, but not diagnosed, Amanda went on with her adventurous and challenging lifestyle for many years and received many concussions. In her quest for information about, and finally understanding...

Mack Hancock (and his group of engaged CLFC - Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada , Dalhousie University students) talks to youth, in and around Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, about concussions. His podcast, The Untangled Podcast , is also all about concussions and is available wherever you are! We talk hockey, baseline testing and the potential for concussion biomarkers. PLEASE SHARE, LIKE AND SUB...

Melissa Biscardi, nurse, concussion clinician, PhD student at the University of Toronto and host of Brainiac podcast joins me to discuss all of it! She's also a black belt in jiu jitsu and we briefly talk about that! *correction* Melissa mentions Dr. Carrick (at the 20:19 audio & 19:53 video). I mistakenly say that Tracy Lin, PT, did some training under Dr. Carrick, but it was actually the Upl...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are significant problems for the military (in this case, Canadian, but every military is affected). Project Enlist Canada and the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada aim to address this by encouraging greater research into the effects of TBI on military personnel. To talk about Project En...

This podcast and video (check it out @concussiontalk on YouTube) is a discussion between Erica Norman ( episode 128 ), Jennifer Smith ( episode 141 ) and me (Nick Mercer). We talk about what we've discovered since our brain injuries.*Turn up your volume!* They're all different and they're all positive! I/we hope this is an uplifting episode and that this becomes a mini-series within Concussion Tal...

Welcome to Episode 4 of this season's Brainiac podcast! Brainiac host Melissa Biscardi is joined by Dr. Brigetta (pronounced Brig-ee-ta) a naturopathic doctor and paramedic who recently packed her bags and moved from Canada to Sweden to bring concussion care across the ocean. This episode is a fun and informative chat on the topic of moving to Sweden, sleep, why we sleep, the intersectio...

Mike Wahl is professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland Med School, a public speaker, a health and wellness entrepreneur, a TV, radio and podcast host and the guest speaker at the Newfoundland and Labrador Brain Injury Association's (NLBIA's) Dinner and Dance on February 10. We talk about a holistic approach to health, fitness and, of course, brain injury. While brain injury is unique to eve...

In this solo episode of the Brainiac podcast, Melissa briefly covers the different phenotypes, also known as subtypes, of concussion. Phenotypes are a way to organize symptoms and then use this information to guide rehabilitation decisions and recovery in a methodological way. While there is some variation on phenotypes depending on the research article and team, Melissa discusses the signs a...

What a great way to start the year! A personal story and a chat discussing brain injury, including concussion, education, and trying to help others! I talk to the Vice President off the board of the Newfoundland and Labrador Brain Injury Association (NLBIA) Dr. Jennifer Smith. Jennifer is an NLBIA board colleague and friend of mine. She tells of her cerebellar stroke and her desire to educate othe...

In this episode of the Brainiac podcast Melissa speaks with Dr. Jen Blanchette , psychologist and podcaster about how to leverage the powerful healing properties of the brain and work through the trauma of sustaining a concussion. This episode will be of interest to individuals recovering from concussion and clinicians looking to learn more about the trauma experience after concussion and strategi...

What has changed in brain injury research in recent years? What areas need more study, more attention? What have been the research trends? David Brody, M.D, PhD, researcher and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurotrauma joins me to try to answer the questions in episode 140! PLEASE SHARE, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE! The ads are the way I can keep doing these podcasts! Subscribe and leave a review! Visi...

After 33 caps, two Rugby World Cup appearances ('03 & '07) for Wales and a professional career, Alix Popham retired from rugby due to a shoulder injury, but the repeated head trauma in games and practice had him concerned about his brain. A normal bike ride around his town that left him lost, was the impetus to co-found, Head for Change , "pioneering positive change for brain health in sport a...

On episode 138, Cassandra of the Newfoundland and Labrador Brain Injury Association (NLBIA) joins me as co-host as we talk to Chris Ryan, a singer/songwriter from NL. Chris has had multiple concussions and we talk about the importance of recognizing the signs and the lasting symptoms. How have concussions effected his music career; including his song writing and live shows? How have concussions af...

I am joined by Dr. Daniel Rafie, a UCLA BrainSPORT Sports Neurologist! As the host of The BrainSPORT Podcast at Steve Tisch UCLA Health , Dan goes by Adel. We talk about The UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program , directed by Dr. Chris Giza; concussion, brain injury (briefly delving into dysautonomia) and, of course, their podcast! SPORT: S afety, P erformance, O utreach, R esearch, T reatment. We c...

In this episode we are introduced to the new host of the Brainiac Concussion podcast- Melissa Biscardi. Next, sex differences in concussion risk and recovery are discussed. Specifically, Melissa chats about the structural differences in the neck, hormonal responses of males versus females, and sex differences in brain structure. Both current research as well as a few nudges for future researc...