S2 E54: Tips for Recovery with Dr. Nidhi Shah DPT

Written By Eryn Martin

Recovering from a brain injury is a physically and emotionally trying time. Addressing both your physical and mental health helps you get the most out of your therapy. Dr. Nidhi Shah, physical therapist fromYour Movement Specialist knows this all too well. In this week’s episode, Nidhi gives us tips to ground ourselves, strategies for better sleep, and teaches us about some common symptoms we may not associate with our brain injuries. Listen and learn!

In this episode:

  • Your Movement Specialist: physical therapy clinic that focuses on people with brain injury, Parkinson’s, and vertigo/dizziness

    • Focus is getting you back to what you want to do while meeting you where you are at today

      • It’s ok to not feel good everyday.  Therapy is tailored to you.

  • A cornerstone of recovery is learning to accept yourself where you are 

  • Your self image changes and takes self love, awareness, and compassion to accept

  • Recovery is emotional!

  • Tips for grounding yourself

    • Mental health counseling

    • Practice gratitude.  Write them down or speak them out loud.  It affirms that you are ok

    • Mindfulness. Understanding what each part of the body feels like

    • Breathing. Helps to calm down the body and stops overthinking and negative mind loops.

    • Be kind to yourself.  A bad day is only a bad day; it will go away.  Say one good thing to yourself.

  • Sleep repairs the brain 

    • Using breathing and mindfulness to fall asleep

    • Put screens away. Read an easy book or listen to music instead

    • Don’t use alcohol to sleep.  It will mess up your sleep cycle.

    • Exercise earlier in the day

    • White rice 2-3 hours before bedtime helps with sleep

    • Chamomile or rose water tea

    • Hot bath before bed

    • A cool bedroom 65 degrees is ideal

    • Brain breaks- at what point can you not focus anymore? This is when you need a break.  Brain breaks can be a 20 minute nap, a rest with dark glasses, or light exercise.  If you need a longer nap 90 minutes puts you through a full sleep cycle-try to do earlier in the day so you don’t mess up your nighttime sleep

      • Breathwrk app or Calm app for deep breathing and brain breaks

  • Tips for brain injury recovery

    • Breaking down tasks

    • Self care to stay motivated and on track.  

    • Mental health therapy. Mental health issues arise with recovery.  Physical and mental health cannot be separated.  Mental health issues can make you feel physically weak.

    • Brain breaks

    • A Team: consists of neurologist, physical, occupational and/or speech therapy, mental health therapist; your partner, caregiver or family that believes you.  It takes a village to recover!

    • Caregiver support.  Caregivers have a hard job and need support too. 

      • Contact your state’s Brain Injury Association for resources

      • Physical therapy teaches the caregivers how to safely care for clients

  • Signs you may not associate with your brain injury

    • Dizziness

      • Brain surgery or traumatic brain injuries can cause this

      • Positional vertigo

    • Vision

      • Headaches, stress in the eyes, or feeling very fatigued can be signs you have trouble with your vision

      • Get your vision checked as your eyes many not be moving correctly

      • Neuro-optometry or a neuro occupational therapist can help

    • Neck issues

      • Neck issues are very common after traumatic brain injuries.  If you hit your head you likely hurt your neck

      • Neck pain can cause dizziness, headaches, balance issues, and fatigue

      • Can be from the initial injury or a residual effect of not wanting to move your neck in a way that will cause symptoms and this leads to a neck injury

  • Feedback loops

    • Avoidance behaviors to avoid things that trigger a symptom.  You develop compensatory measures that can cause secondary issues.  

    • Need to get to the root cause of your symptom

      • Layers of ‘why’.  Asking why until you get to the root.  A good therapist will help uncover this.

  • Recovering from brain injury

    • Find someone who will advocate for you to get you the best care.   Providers who will help get you through the system. 

      • Nidhi is available to help direct you where to get the care you need and also treats patients in New Jersey.  See her contact info below.

      • Your state’s Brain Injury Association also has resources

  • Support us at:

  • Patreon

  • Donate section on our website.  10% of profits go to our favorite non-profit of the moment

Eryn Martin
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S2 E55: Craniosacral Therapy with Amy Mercury
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S2 E53: Limitless Life with Kyle Mengelkamp