I am and have always been a “motorhead” and I find sitting down with a car magazine to be a highly relaxing experience. Rarely do I find much of a connection between my professional work and a good edition of a Hemmings publication like “Sports and Exotic Cars” or “Vintage Car” which is probably why [...]
About Rolf Gainer Ph.D.
Dr. Rolf Gainer is the founder of the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma as well as the Neurological Rehabilitation Institute of Ontario, in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Gainer is a psychologist with more than twenty-five years of experience in the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with brain injuries and a dual diagnosis. Dr. Gainer has designed and operated innovative rehabilitation programs in the United States and Canada for individuals who have been regarded as difficult to serve. He is currently involved in conducting two outcome studies related to the long-term issues faced by individuals with brain injuries and a dual diagnosis. He has presented papers throughout the United States and Canada in many professional conferences and educational forums.
Homeless drinkers face ultra high risk for TBI
A Canadian research team from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto led by Dr. Tomislav Svoboda found that homeless men who drink heavily face a 400% greater chance of brain injury than the general population and a likelihood of experiencing a severe brain injury to be 170% greater than the generally recognized occurrence rate. Dr. Svoboda’s [...]
Hormone helps brain to heal
Donald Stein, PhD of Emory University has worked tirelessly for over ten years to study the healing capacity of Progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone in brain injury. The drug trials have advanced to Phase 3 in two locations and internally being followed in 20 countries. Dr. Stein says that Progesterone addresses the inflammatory cascade which [...]
Heading towards brain injury: soccer study points to needed changes
A small study of soccer players and the potential for brain injury has indicated that the potential exists for players who “head the ball” over 1400 times a year. Now that sounds like a lot, but when you consider the training drills which rely on repetition it’s actually quite easy to reach that number in [...]
Depression, Brain Injury and Mindfulness
Earlier today one of my colleagues posted a blog on this site about the application of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in the treatment of depression for people with brain injuries. I wanted to provide some greater detail and information about the presentation made by Dr. Michel Bedard of Lakehead University at the Congress of the European [...]
An unbelievable theory about concussions
Randy Carlyle, the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, put forward his theory on concussions that clearly falls into the “I can’t believe that he said that” category. We have a long way to go to continue to educate coaches about concussions and brain injury if Mr. Carlyle’s comments are typical of other hockey coaches. [...]
Icebergs, Brain Injury and the Chronic Disease Process
Brent M asel, M.D. and Douglas DeWitt, M.D. refocused our thinking about the chronic disease aspects of brain injury in their 2010 paper on the subject. The Galveston Brain Injury Conference in 2012 brought together over 50 experts in brain injury research and treatment to re-frame brain injury as a chronic disease. The results of [...]
Former players sue the NFL
Has the NFL knowingly exposed players to the risk of brain injuries? The lawsuit brought against the NFL by former players will determine how much the NFL knew about the risk of traumatic brain injury and the cumulative effects of TBI in players who have sustained multiple concussions. The NFL has downplayed the data revealed [...]
Kids and Ice Hockey: High Risk for TBI
Ice hockey causes 43% of the sports-related brain injuries in Canadian children and teens according to study conducted by Dr. Cusimano of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The study was funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. The study ran from 1990 to 2009 and was based on data from 15 hospitals which received young people [...]
Sports Concussions: the evidence base for evaluation and management of concussions
We are becoming increasingly aware of sports concussions and the link between concussions and brain injuries. The retired NFL players who have come forward to speak about the long-term effects of the multiple concussions they experienced in the game have helped to shed light on the issues as have the unfortunate deaths by suicide of [...]
Connect with Traumatic Brain Injury
