#84 How the Brain Heals: Concussions, Neuroplasticity, and Clinical Neurology
Episode Description
In this episode of It Happened To Me, we explore clinical neurology, how the brain and nervous system function, what happens when things go wrong, and how recovery and adaptation are possible even after injury or chronic neurological challenges.
Our guest is Dr. David Traster, a clinical neurologist and educator who has spent nearly two decades working with patients experiencing complex neurological conditions. His background as an athlete and personal trainer, combined with his own experiences navigating injury and chronic health issues, shaped his interest in helping people improve function through neurological recovery.
Dr. Traster has advanced training in concussion, dizziness and vertigo, movement disorders, autonomic nervous system conditions, and childhood developmental disorders. His work focuses on helping patients improve function through neurorehabilitation and targeted exercises, without relying solely on drugs or surgery.
In Part 1 of this conversation, Dr. Traster explains what clinical neurology really means and how it differs from the traditional view of neurology as diagnosis, medication, or surgery alone. He shares his own experience as a high-level basketball player whose life changed after a surgery led to years of unexplained symptoms, eventually resulting in a Lyme disease diagnosis. That personal journey shaped how he listens to patients whose symptoms do not fit neatly into a diagnosis.
The conversation also explores how the brain responds to injury, including concussion and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Traster explains why recovery often requires more than rest and time, and how targeted exercises involving vision, balance, eye movement, vestibular rehabilitation, and cognitive therapy can help retrain specific brain pathways.
Cathy and Dr. Traster also discuss how this approach may apply to patients living with rare or genetic conditions. While neurorehabilitation may not cure an underlying condition, Dr. Traster explains that improving function, balance, movement, and quality of life can still be meaningful and powerful for patients.
Dr. Traster also provides a clear explanation of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change, strengthen, and reorganize through repeated activity. Dr. Traster breaks down why “brain cells that fire together wire together,” and how learning, movement, repetition, and targeted practice can support healing and adaptation.
In This Episode, We Discuss:- What clinical neurology is and how it differs from traditional neurology
- Why the brain may need functional and physics-based approaches, not only chemical interventions
- Dr. Traster’s personal experience with chronic illness, delayed diagnosis, and Lyme disease
- How being dismissed medically shaped his empathy for patients
- Why neurological symptoms like dizziness, brain fog, and balance issues can be misunderstood
- How concussion recovery can involve targeted brain rehabilitation
- The role of vision, balance, vestibular rehab, eye movement therapy, and cognitive exercises
- How neurorehabilitation may support patients with genetic or rare conditions
- Why function and quality of life matter, even when a condition cannot be cured
- What neuroplasticity means in simple terms
- How learning, repetition, and practice help strengthen brain connections
Dr. David Traster is a clinical neurologist and educator with nearly two decades of experience working with patients experiencing complex neurological conditions. His background as an athlete and personal trainer, along with his own experience navigating injury and chronic health challenges, shaped his approach to neurological recovery and rehabilitation.
Dr. Traster has advanced training in concussion, dizziness and vertigo, movement disorders, autonomic nervous system conditions, and childhood developmental disorders. His work focuses on helping patients improve function through neurorehabilitation, targeted exercises, and individualized care.
Resources"Sidney Crosby’s concussion 10 years later and the NHL’s progress since: Yohe" via NY Times
Dr. David Traster’s Neurologic Wellness Institute Profile
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Listen to Part 2 for the continuation of this conversation, where Dr. Traster discusses how the nervous system affects pain, digestion, heart rate, fatigue, balance, vision, the inner ear, patient advocacy, and neurological recovery across the lifespan.
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