Eric Freitag: Concussions, Recovery, and the Action Plan You Need at the Ready

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Eric Freitag
Concussions, Recovery, and the Action Plan You Need at the Ready

Dr. Eric Freitag is a licensed clinical psychologist, board-certified neuropsychologist, and certified Emergency Medical Technician. His clinical expertise includes assessing and treating dementia, traumatic brain injury, and sports concussions. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Mt. Diablo Memory Center.

Dr. Freitag works extensively with individuals who have experienced sport-related concussions, including current and retired professional athletes and collegiate and high school student-athletes. He previously served as the Co-Director of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Sports Concussion Program. He is a consultant with UC Berkeley and St. Mary’s College sports medicine departments and works with several Bay Area high schools. Prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Dr. Freitag served as the NFL Neuropsychological Consultant to the Oakland Raiders.

We found this conversation critical for understanding concussions and having an action plan for treatment from the moment of injury. It is a must listen for parents of youth athletes and coaches alike.

Points of interest in the episode: 

04:55  Eric’s background
07:07  Kelly has had his share of concussions
08:20  Defining concussions
12:30  Sub-concussive blows
14:58  Healing from concussions
15:28  Concussion response happens from the moment of trauma (not when the ind sees the doc for the first time)
17:12  Athletes heal if treatment begins immediately
19:45  Long term consequences
23:45  What to do after a concussive event
24:40  4 stages of recovery; “If you’ve seen one concussion, you’ve seen one concussion”
33:00  California Interscholastic Federation website for “return to learn” and “return to play” resources
33:44  When to see a specialist
36:50  Surprises in Eric’s work
40:12  NYT piece on CTEs based on Boston University study
45:00  The research doesn’t support the idea that simply playing high school sports puts an individual at higher risk of mental health disorders
47:00  What you should do after a brain injury: sleep (regular and sufficient), hydration, nutrition
48:19  What you shouldn’t do: don’t get hit in the head while recovering, drugs, alcohol
49:15  NSAIDS
51:46  How to mitigate risk
56:30  Big risk sports
59:14  Instagram question: Is light exercise good for recovery?
60:52  Instagram question: Should ice hockey players have better helmets?
62:00  Instagram question: What if a concussive event includes memory loss?
63:30  Instagram question: Is cold water immersion good for concussion recovery?
64:30  Instagram question: Best ways to address mood changes during recovery?
66:53  Sports Neuropsychology Society

Sponsors

This episode of The Ready State Podcast is brought to you by Momentous, a leading high performance lifestyle company making the best supplements and sports nutrition products for individuals looking to optimize all parts of their lives. Kelly has a bunch of travel coming up, and his go-to travel stack is Momentous Multi, Magnesium for sleep, Omegas, and Collagen Shots. If you want to stock up for your travel plans, go to livemomentous.com/TRS and use code TRS for 20% OFF your first purchase.

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