Episode 6: Concussion and Pathophysiology

In this episode of The Dr. M Experience, Dr. David Musnick takes a deep dive into concussion, traumatic brain injury, and the functional medicine mechanisms behind brain injury recovery. Drawing on decades of experience in sports medicine and functional medicine, Dr. M explains why concussion care should go beyond simply ruling out a brain bleed and telling someone to rest. This episode explores what actually happens in the brain after a concussion, including structural injury, neural shearing, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, blood-brain barrier disruption, brain autoimmunity, hormone dysfunction, pituitary involvement, vagus nerve dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, protein folding abnormalities, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and gut microbiome changes. Dr. M also discusses why symptoms such as brain fog, headache, dizziness, emotional instability, fatigue, sleepiness, and brain-based fatigue can persist after a head injury — even when the person never directly hit their head. This episode sets the foundation for future conversations on how to address the pathways involved in concussion recovery. This episode is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical care. Always consult your own healthcare provider for diagnosis, treatment, testing, supplements, or return-to-play decisions after a concussion or head injury. #Concussion #TBI #TraumaticBrainInjury #HeadInjury #PostConcussionSyndrome #ConcussionRecovery #BrainHealth #Neuroinflammation #BrainFog #SportsMedicine #FunctionalMedicine #DrMExperience #DrDavidMusnick #Neuroplasticity #VagusNerve #MitochondrialHealth #BloodBrainBarrier #BrainInjuryRecovery #FunctionalNeurology #HealthPodcast