Rebecca Rusch: A 7x World Champion’s Road to Concussion Recovery
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, by Fabienne Lang
Seven-time World Champion Rebecca Rusch shares her journey of recovery after a serious concussion that changed her life. She opens up about the challenges she's faced and her mission to raise awareness about concussions and proper care.
[DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you need medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.]
“My handlebar just clipped a rock and I fell down this ravine,” Rebecca Rusch said to her camera in between deep breaths. “I hit my helmet really hard.”
It was November 11, 2021 when everything changed for Rebecca who was on a solo multi-day mountain bike adventure along the Coconino Trail in Arizona. On Day Three, she clipped her handlebar on a protruding rock and went flying 10 feet down a ravine. She tumbled, hitting her ribs multiple times – and, most critically – her head. She was diagnosed with a ‘mild’ concussion. Her ribs healed, but her brain is still in recovery.
Rebecca Rusch is 56-year-old, seven-time World Champion endurance and adventure athlete, with over 30 years of chasing ‘firsts,’ winning championships, and taking on extraordinary adventures. Along with titles at the Gravel Bike World Championships, Leadville 100 and Iditarod Trail Invitational, one of her most memorable adventures was a 1,200-mile ride on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where she searched for the crash site that claimed her father’s life during the Vietnam War. “I’ve been an athlete my entire life,” she says. “I’ve done rock climbing, adventure paddling, running, cycling, which led to multi-sport racing as I got older.”
There’s a ‘dirty little secret’ that few athletes outside of American football discuss and it’s about concussions. It may be considered ‘the invisible injury,’ but Rebecca, alongside others in the sporting world, is working hard not to make it a silent one.
Consider this: nearly 30% of adults report having a concussion in their lifetime, with almost half reporting life-long repercussions. One study on people with mild traumatic brain injury (concussions) reported that 47% of people were still experiencing symptoms like depression, fatigue, headaches, and cognitive impairments six months later.
At the time of her crash, Rebecca had little knowledge about concussion recovery other than ‘rest, stay off screens, and you’ll be fine in a couple of weeks.’ But weeks turned into months, and now, three years later, she’s still recovering. The ongoing symptoms and lack of legitimate care sent her into a downward spiral of physical and emotional pain.
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“The last few years of my life have been focused on this concussion. It really halted everything I was doing business-wise, sports-wise, personal, and family-wise. Everything stopped for the first time in my life,” she admits. “It has been really challenging. I've never had an injury that stopped me, especially not a brain injury that is so hard to navigate and so confusing, and not straightforward like a broken leg or bone.”
I've never had an injury that stopped me, especially not a brain injury that is so hard to navigate and so confusing, and not straightforward like a broken leg or bone.
The first two years after her concussion were the toughest for Rebecca. She tried to hide what was happening, even from herself. “I didn't want to admit it was happening to me because I thought: ‘I'm strong, I can handle this. I'm not hurt.’ And, honestly, I was just scared and confused and didn't want to lose my job,” she confesses.
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“The last three years have probably been the hardest expedition I've ever done in my life. But they’ve also been a huge learning experience of leaning on other people, asking for help, being honest, learning about how the nervous system works and how my brain works,” she explains.
“The storm is finally clearing and I’m finding my way again. Now, I’m well enough and ready to talk about it,” she adds.
‘Brain Storm’
One way Rebecca is talking about it is on her recent podcast with Selene Yeager, called ‘Brain Storm.’ In the series, she shares her deeply personal journey of recovery, speaking with experts on the science, understanding, and treatment of concussions and persistent post-concussive symptoms. “I don’t want to scare people with my story, my goal is to open the conversation up because the more we talk about it, the more people can get good care,” she shares.
Through her podcast, Rebecca hopes to shed light on and remove any stigma surrounding concussions and empower both athletes and anyone with a brain to take care of their cognitive health. “Every concussion is different, and so is every human. There are six or seven types of concussion, so the more you know about it, the more easily you can advocate for yourself when you talk to your general primary care physician and design a treatment protocol based on your specific symptoms,” she explains.
Rebecca wants people to avoid the delays she experienced in getting help. She’s made resources available alongside her podcast for anyone interested in learning more about concussions.
Although Rebecca’s brain hasn’t fully returned to its pre-crash state, she has slowly started reintroducing sports into her daily life. She started by returning to her first love – running. “I had to shift my relationship with exercise after my crash, taking away the pressure of performance and replacing it with something that was fun and joyful. I started running again, as well as hiking, chopping wood, putting on weighted backpacks as I walked my dogs."
The road to recovery may not be a straight one but it gets you there eventually. In Rebecca’s case…“Last week,” she adds with a smile, “was the first time I wanted to go on a bike ride. I did hill intervals and it felt pretty good. It was the first time in almost three years where it didn't feel like a burden to go push hard. It felt good.”
Written by
Fabienne Lang
