Concussions are a popular discussion within sports medicine, but the personal toll they take on an individual is less discussed.

McKay Sohlberg, a professor of communication disorders and sciences in the UO's College of Education, was featured in a recent episode of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Think Out Loud. She discussed cognitive rehabilitation and what she’s doing to help young athletes deal with chronic concussion symptoms.

“We’re working on group peer support to help some of the youth that are dealing with the persistent effects following a concussion,” Sohlberg said on the show.

One of Sohlberg’s first participants in the support group was Sylvia Titterington, who was also a guest on the show. Titterington is a graduate of South Eugene High School and sustained seven concussions playing soccer. Support group members talk about how concussions changed their lives as a form of therapy medicine and exercise don’t provide.

“The good news is that most people eventually get better but can get better faster with intervention, and you can feel more supported along the way and not have problems that crop up as a result of not having your symptoms being recognized,” Sohlberg said. “We need to be aware and be mindful of continued development of interventions that are efficacious for treating chronic issues following brain injury.”

For the full story, see “Treating Concussions.”

—By Craig Garcia, University Communications intern