One Boston Day Inspires Local Neuropsychologist to Heed the Mayors Call to Spread Goodwill and Random Acts of …

Boston, Mass (PRWEB) April 02, 2015

In the wake of the two-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, a new tradition is blossoming in the city of Boston. April 15 will now be recognized as "One Boston Day" to honor the citys resilience, generosity and strength during and after the 2013 attacks, according to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

Mayor Walsh envisions One Boston Day as an opportunity for Boston residents to give back. Dr. Diane Roberts Stoler, Ed.D. (Dr. Diane), a Massachusetts neuropsychologist, board certified sports psychologist, trauma therapist, and co-author of "Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury," is doing just that.

"If you were within a quarter mile of the Boston Marathon blasts, and are still suffering from persistent symptoms including headaches; fatigue; impaired concentration and decision-making ability, sleep disturbances; dizziness; gait imbalance; loss of taste and smell; loss of sex drive; reading and communication difficulties; and emotional or behavioral problems, then you likely sustained a concussion, a form of traumatic brain injury, and are dealing with Post Concussion Syndrome, said Dr. Diane, who specializes in concussion and brain injury.

You do not have to come into physical contact with an explosion for it to cause significant injury. This resulting damage to the brain is called a blast injury. Any of the approximate 20,000 people within a quarter mile radius of the blasts could have experienced a concussion, she explains.

The reason why people who did not see the blast could have been affected by it comes down to science.

As explained in the book, Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, The explosion of a bomb or improvised device produces a sound wave called a supersonic wave. The movement, amplitude, and duration of this sound wave results in sufficient pressure within the brain to cause actual tissue damage alone with dysregulation of connectivity and brain waves. An individual does not have to be physically moving or in contact with the blast for the injury it causes to be enormous.

2013 Boston Marathon attendees most likely have been treated for any physical injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), unlike the many concussions unknowingly sustained that afternoon.

It is not widely known that a blast can cause dysregulation of the brains neuroconnectivity by overstretching, tearing and swelling. The resulting concussion often goes undiagnosed and untreated, leaving survivors with ongoing symptoms called Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS).

Nonmilitary doctors are not geared for diagnosing or treating blast injuries. They often do not know what to look for and they have limited training in how to deal with people who have concussions," said Dr. Diane.

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One Boston Day Inspires Local Neuropsychologist to Heed the Mayors Call to Spread Goodwill and Random Acts of ...