The Concussion Nerds Podcast

Ever wonder if that breakthrough treatment plan you handed your client on day one is actually keeping them stuck on a recovery plateau? If you're a clinician treating complex or persistent concussions, chances are you've felt the self-imposed pressure to deliver an immediate treatment plan during your very first session. It's easy to catch an obvious symptom—like neck tension or a headache—and start treating it right away, assuming you've found the root of the problem. The reality? When we rush to treat the most obvious symptom before seeing the entire picture, we end up treating a compensation mechanism rather than the actual driver. This "assessment trap" leads to plateaued progress, frustrated clients, and wasted clinical effort. To break this cycle, clinicians must shift away from chasing individual symptoms and commit to a complete, multi-system assessment—even if that means taking two full sessions to map out what's truly driving your patient's presentation. (Note: This is a pre-recorded episode, and the Fired Up About Concussion event mentioned in the audio has concluded.) BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• What the "Assessment Trap" is and why clinician bias, educational conditioning, and patient pressure push us to treat too quickly.
• Why symptoms like headaches are not drivers, and how subtle issues—like ocular instability or otolith dysfunction—can trigger cervical tension and dysautonomia.
• The hidden connection of the myodural bridge and how suboccipital connective tissue impacts dural mobility and persistent neck pain.
• How to implement the Two-Session Assessment Framework to set proper client expectations, eliminate first-visit pressure, and build a high-impact treatment plan that gets results.

Let's connect! Instagram: @natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/ Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com Want to deepen your concussion assessment and treatment skills? Learn more about the Concussion Nerds Fellowship here: https://www.concussionnerds.com/concussion-nerds-fellowship

In this episode, we're taking a closer look at the otolith system, including the utricle and saccule, and how understanding their role can lead to more specific assessment and treatment. You'll learn what to look for when traditional vestibular testing doesn't fully explain a patient's symptoms and how to incorporate otolith screening into a more complete concussion assessment.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL LEARN:

• How the otolith system supports balance, spatial orientation, eye stabilization, and postural control

• Why otolith dysfunction can contribute to dizziness and symptoms with linear movement

• The difference between utricle and saccule function and why it matters for rehabilitation

• How to screen for otolith dysfunction using tools such as ocular counter-roll, skew deviation, subjective visual vertical, orthostatic vitals, and VEMP testing

A more complete vestibular assessment can help uncover the pieces of concussion recovery that are easy to miss.

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Want to deepen your concussion assessment and treatment skills? Learn more about the Concussion Nerds Fellowship here: https://www.concussionnerds.com/concussion-nerds-fellowship

Why are your concussion clients still struggling even after their symptoms have completely vanished? You might be making the common mistake of basing a client's return to play or recovery timeline solely on symptom resolution, completely missing the invisible physiological dysfunction happening underneath. Even when patients feel better, their autonomic nervous system often remains stuck in a sympathetic-dominant state, leaving them vulnerable to secondary injuries and persistent fatigue. In this episode, we dive deep into the science of autonomic health, how to use Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as a window into real physiological healing, and why creating a "safety effect" in rehab changes everything. BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• What HRV actually measures and why it is the go-to biomarker for concussion research and autonomic health.
• How concussions cause autonomic dysregulation that lags far behind symptom resolution.
• Alternative ways to spot autonomic dysfunction during your sessions when you don't have fancy wearable tech.
• How to build autonomic literacy with your clients to foster self-efficacy without letting wearable tech override how they actually feel.

Tune in to master the "chapter two" of complex concussion care and elevate your clinical outcomes! Want to take your complex concussion care to the next level? Join Natasha for the free "Fired Up About Concussion" live event on October 1st at 4:00 PM Pacific to work through a live case and grab your spot for the fall cohort (limited to 25 clinicians). Register here: https://www.natashawilch.com/fired-up-for-concussion

Could medication actually help support concussion recovery, or could it sometimes make things more complicated?

When you're dealing with persistent concussion symptoms, it can be easy to rely on medication without fully understanding what each medication is targeting or whether it's still needed. With multiple medications potentially being prescribed for different symptoms, keeping track of how they interact and affect recovery becomes especially important.

In this episode, we break down the role medications can play in concussion recovery, why they should be viewed as a tool alongside rehabilitation, and why understanding the purpose and effects of each medication matters.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why there is no medication that directly treats concussion and how medications are instead used to target specific symptoms
• Common medication categories used for headaches, sleep, mood, cognitive symptoms, and autonomic issues
• How medication overuse, side effects, and polypharmacy can complicate concussion recovery
• Why understanding a patient's medications is important when assessing symptoms and planning rehabilitation

Medication can have a place in concussion recovery, but understanding what it is treating and working with your physician is key to making informed decisions.

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussion-nerds-waitlist

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Have you ever looked in the mirror after an injury and wondered where the "real you" went?

When a concussion strikes, we tend to pour all our energy into tracking physical symptoms and managing clinical protocols. But in doing so, we often ignore the quiet, devastating rupture happening beneath the surface: the sudden loss of your identity. Whether you were the early-bird athlete, the high-achieving professional, the dependable parent, or the life of the party, a brain injury can strip away those roles in a single day, leaving you feeling like a stranger to yourself.

Trying to force your way back into your old life—or rushing to find a "silver lining" before you've even processed the loss—only leaves you feeling isolated, stuck in limbo, and drowning in invisible guilt. True healing requires more than just symptom management; it requires the space to mourn who you were so you can discover who you're becoming. In this episode, host Natasha breaks down the messy, unspoken emotional side of concussion recovery and shares a practical framework to help you rebuild a meaningful identity on your own terms.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• Why identity loss after a concussion is a direct physical and emotional consequence of brain injury, not just a psychological reaction.

• The 5 identity archetypes most impacted by concussion—and why pushing through symptoms actually traps the "resilient" personality type.

• The 4 stages of identity reconstruction and how to navigate "Suspension," the awkward in-between phase where most recovery journeys stall out.

• Practical strategies to anchor your recovery in core values, adjust your sense of contribution, and properly grieve your old self.

Hit play to step out of the recovery limbo and start reclaiming your narrative today!

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussion-nerds-waitlist

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Are you struggling to navigate your child's concussion recovery without a clear roadmap from their doctors?

Most parents are left feeling overwhelmed by a confusing healthcare system that wasn't built for family advocacy, leaving them unsure of which specialists to see or whether their child is actually receiving the right treatment.

Watching your child suffer from months of persistent symptoms—while missing out on school, sports, and their social life—is agonizing. Pushing through the pain or waiting for symptoms to magically disappear only delays healing, but with a targeted multi-system approach, early advocate intervention, and the right care team, you can actively guide your child back to the activities they love.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• The crucial questions to ask at every stage of care—from the emergency room to your follow-up provider.

• Why normal MRI and CT scans do not rule out a concussion, and what typical youth recovery timelines actually look like.

• How to spot the green and red flags of concussion treatment so you know if your child is getting proper, progressive care.

• Practical strategies to support your child's nervous system and social well-being at home without making recovery harder.

Scroll up, hit play, and arm yourself with the map you need to get your child the expert care they deserve!

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussion-nerds-waitlist

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Are you relying on subjective symptom reports to clear your post-concussion patients, only to have them relapse or struggle with lingering issues?

Many clinicians fall into the trap of using basic screening tools like the VOMS or standard cardinal-plane tests as a complete diagnostic assessment—missing critical deficits in joint position sense, proprioception, and off-axis movement.

This surface-level approach leaves severe, persistent gaps in your patient's recovery, but integrating objective visual feedback tools and multi-planar, sensory-motor testing can reveal hidden deficits and transform your clinical outcomes.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• Why standard concussion screening tools like the VOMS aren't enough to build a comprehensive, multi-system treatment plan.

• How real-time laser visual feedback accelerates motor learning, restores proprioception, and exposes hidden head-movement biases.

• The critical role of joint position sense and out-of-neutral torsional testing in treating persistent post-concussion symptoms.

• Why persistent concussion statistics are shifting as we evaluate the general population beyond elite athletic settings.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Dr. Eric Dinkins, PT, DPT, MSPT, OCS, MCTA, is a physical therapist, international educator, and co-owner of Motion Guidance. A Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and Certified Mulligan Practitioner, Dr. Dinkins has treated athletes ranging from youth competitors to Olympic and professional levels. Since co-founding Motion Guidance in 2014, he has pioneered the integration of laser-based visual feedback, gamification, and sensorimotor rehabilitation across orthopedic, sports medicine, vestibular, concussion, and neurological settings.

Tune in to discover how Dr. Erik Dinkins and Motion Guidance are revolutionizing visual feedback and sensory-motor rehabilitation to fix the hidden gaps in post-concussion care!

Connect with Dr. Eric:

• Website: motionguidance.com

• Email: [email protected]

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussion-nerds-waitlist

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Are post-concussion relationship struggles leaving you and your loved ones feeling distant, misunderstood, or completely exhausted?

You or someone you love might be falling into the trap of treating post-concussion relationship friction as purely a "social" or "personality" issue—or worse, brushing these hard conversations under the rug in fear of becoming a burden.

When invisible symptoms like cognitive fatigue, emotional dysregulation, and word-finding struggles go unnamed, resentment quietly builds, leaving partners isolated and families feeling fragmented. The solution starts with pulling these raw truths out of the closet, putting clear language to the hidden neurological strains, and proactively naming the issues together so you can rebuild connection instead of growing apart.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• Why post-concussion relationship strain is rooted in real physiological and neurological shifts—not a lack of effort or caring.

• How unaddressed symptoms like reduced social capacity, word-finding issues, and emotional dysregulation accidentally trigger family role changes and ambiguous loss.

• The critical difference between letting invisible resentment build and taking the uncomfortable first step of naming your struggles to initiate true relationship repair.

• How clinicians and support networks can actively bridge the communication gap to help families heal together rather than falling apart.

No matter where you are on this healing journey, remember that naming the uncomfortable stuff is where true connection begins—so share this episode with someone who needs it, keep the conversation open, and we'll see you next week!

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussion-nerds-waitlist

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Are you giving your complex concussion clients your absolute best care, or are you secretly running out of ideas when they hit a plateau?

It's an uncomfortable truth: while every healthcare provider goes into practice genuinely wanting to help, caring deeply for your patients simply isn't enough when you reach the limits of your clinical knowledge. Far too often, when progress stalls, clinicians default to telling clients "it's just part of the concussion" or writing off lingering symptoms as purely psychosocial—leaving patients confused, frustrated, and stuck in treatment for months or years without actual recovery.

When you settle for "good enough" care or miss hidden clinical blind spots, you risk breaking your patient's trust and holding them back from true healing. But hitting your clinical ceiling doesn't mean you can't push past it—by getting curious about your limitations, auditing your practice, and learning how to look deeper into complex, overlooked systems, you can step up to become the clinician your clients truly need.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• Why compassion alone isn't enough to solve complex concussion cases—and how to identify when you've hit your clinical ceiling.

• The danger of writing off patient plateaus as "psychosocial" or "just concussion symptoms" instead of looking for deeper root causes.

• The major clinical blind spot most providers miss: how TBI impacts the central auditory processing system and impacts cognitive health.

• How to bridge the fragmentation gap across multidisciplinary care so PTs, OTs, Chiros, and Osteos can speak the same clinical language.

Scroll down, hit play, and learn how to uncover your clinical blind spots and elevate your standard of concussion care today!

Ready to raise your standard of care and stop hitting clinical ceilings?

Join the waitlist for the revamped Concussion Nerds Fellowship 2.0! Doors open this fall for our brand-new cohort, limited to just 25 clinicians. Joining isn't a commitment—it simply gives you first priority to claim your seat before they're gone.

👉 Join the Waitlist Here

Have you ever wondered why some of your concussion clients suddenly hit a total plateau in their recovery, or why bringing up an insurance claim or lawsuit creates an immediate wall of tension in the room?

Navigating concussion care is complex enough, but when you add insurance disputes, personal injury claims, and legal battles into the mix, the healing process often grinds to a halt. As clinicians, it is far too easy to fall into the trap of assuming a patient in litigation is "malingering," or to get caught in a chart-note tug-of-war that disrupts your care. On the flip side, clients are left feeling constantly judged, hypervigilant, and stuck in a system that forces them to fight for their limitations instead of celebrating their wins.

This unspoken friction keeps the nervous system locked in fight-or-flight, leaving clinicians second-guessing their documentation and patients terrified that showing signs of healing will ruin their legal claim. But you don't have to choose between legal realities and clinical progress. By understanding how legal stress actively amplifies physical symptoms and creates a massive nocebo effect, you can protect the therapeutic alliance, chart with objective confidence, and help your clients heal—even while their case is ongoing.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• The crucial difference between rare malingering (1–5%) and symptom magnification—and why baseline stress, not deception, is usually what drives amplified pain and dizziness.

• How the legal system's demand to "prove your disability" creates a nocebo effect that directly counteracts a brain-healing mindset.

• Practical documentation strategies for clinicians to stay accurate, keep your professional boundaries clear, and avoid getting caught in the legal crosshairs.

• How to guide clients through the profound nervous system reset and identity shift that happens once the heavy weight of a legal claim is finally lifted.

Hit play to discover how to navigate the complex overlap of legal battles and concussion recovery so you can confidently guide your clients toward deep, lasting healing.

Let's connect!

Instagram:

@natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com

Join the Clinician's Edge to have Your Weekly Taste of Neuro Wisdom here: https://www.natashawilch.com/clinicians-edge

Join the Concussion Mini School and Membership! Get the support and resources you need for concussion recovery: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussionminischool