Rianne Schorel, once a women’s football prodigy, is now an inspiration for many!
Rianne Schorel was a former professional football player in the USA and the Netherlands. As a world-class woman football player, she represented her country but she underwent a life-altering brain injury through heading the ball. Her post concussion syndromes made her feel helpless and induced anxiety. Including the diagnosis, it took over a decade to recover. Having gone through the painful journey herself she realised things have to be done differently when it comes to the prevention and treatment of brain trauma. Along with the right medical treatment, the will to get back to normal was something she understood is very vital. She understood the pain of sports-related injuries leaving players in the dark for years. She together with her twin sister Nanja researched how to treat a concussion, burnout, whiplash and other such brain-related injuries along with the medical attention that is required and finally founded Move the Brain, a multi-disciplinary recovery and treatment centre dedicated to getting people, including many athletes, back into normal life post their brain injuries.
Rianne did not let her life-altering series of concussions stop her from achieving what she was more than capable of. She is also the CEO of Move the Brain, author of two books, and a thought leader on the sportsrelated brain and head injury prevention and recovery. As an experienced and expert speaker, she is invited to speak at large conferences including the 5th Annual Brain Health Summit and the 2018 Super Bowl.
She often comments on the topic of brain injury in the media like Forbes, NOS, NPO1, Telegraaf and Athletics Magazine.
Rianne also meets with heads of sports federations to advocate for modifications in the sports to ensure the prevention of injuries and adequate treatment of these traumas. She is also the author of the best-selling book ‘Life With My Concussion’ and soon to be published cookbook ‘The easy way to better brain health’. Her passion for football will never leave her but her new fuelled passion to help individuals who are experiencing brain injuries has led her to help hundreds. Nowadays she spends a lot of time in the Netherlands with friends and family, hiking, mountain biking, exploring cultures, learning about history and volunteering for causes she believes in.
*Click here to read more about Rianne’s journey, published articles and interviews with Forbes.* Move the Brain (MTB) is a world-class brain injury-related training centre founded by twin sisters Rianne and Nanja Schorel. Based in Zeist, The Netherlands, MTB treats those with brain trauma, including post concussion syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder and burnout related symptoms.
The personal, intensive and multidisciplinary training programme always starts at the centre and ensures lasting recovery, with the ultimate aim to give people their normal quality of life back. MTB was founded out of a passion for change. Rianne Schorel, after suffering her traumatic head injury as a professional football player and for over ten years was completely pulled out of ‘normal life’. Her road to recovery was extremely slow and painful and made her want to change the way brain trauma was understood and treated – so that others did not suffer the same as she did.
Based on science and research the Move The Brain training centre, which includes a pre-treatment plan, a 10-day training at the centre and a posttraining trajectory, looks at all elements of recovery through data analysis, psyche-assessment, neuroscience, and dietary changes.
Since its opening back in 2018, hundreds of people have recovered from their brain injuries at Move The Brain, these are people from all walks of life, including many professional athletes. It is Move The Brain’s mission to give people their strength back, and that is what it is doing! Where currently Move The Brain is heading now the pave way to extend their knowledge to create a larger scale opportunity to help more people, where there is a need.
They also have Facebook community pages for those who would like to connect with individuals who are experiencing similar situations caused due to brain injuries and are recovering from the same.
Here are some of the recovery graphs that
we have monitored at Move The Brain
This year is huge for all football fanatics with the FIFA and UEFA scheduled later this year. And with the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship coming up in July the football fever will start soon! The world is gearing up for a thrilling season of games come July. On 10th May 2022, the UEFA Executive Committee is gathering for its latest meeting. This is followed on 11th May 2022 by the 46th Ordinary UEFA Congress, the annual meeting of Europe’s football parliament. With the full swing preparations in line and teams dedicating blood, sweat and tears to their practice it puts the spotlight on sports injuries even more making it important to spread awareness about sports-related brain injuries like concussion, whiplash, burn-out, etc.
Head injuries are extremely common in this sport. Researchers have discovered high rates of concussions and traumatic brain injuries in former football players. These injuries can have very incapacitating effects. Such brain disorders are caused by recurring head injuries. These brain changes progress and worsens over time. They may go unnoticed for months, years, or decades after the last brain injury making diagnosis harder. The common symptoms include memory loss, impaired judgment, aggression, and depression. Multiple players like Rianne herself have suffered these blows and had to quit playing. However, with early diagnosis, correct medical treatment and the right guidance and training you can bounce back better than ever and reclaim your passions. These can even be prevented overall by taking extra precautions like regular health screenings, check-ups, etc.
At Move the Brain, they understand these sports injuries and have treated hundreds of individuals whose recovery stories you can watch. The primary
goal of Move The Brain is to work on the health and well-being of the brain. They have programs and training sessions that help all those who have faced
brain injuries take the path to recovery which transforms their lives. It installs a new purpose, hope and a sense of fulfilment. With the use of cutting
edge science and one-on-one personal attention, MTB strives to take up each case. The method, practices and staying amidst nature truly help in healing and recovery. With a focus on the recovery of body and mind, you will be able to see effective results post the program, which is tracked based on clinical tests and most importantly the symptoms. Each individual is unique and so is their recovery process.
From their own experiences with similar situations and an expansive experience of already, having helped many people, Move The Brain knows that a recovery process takes time and effort. The intensive programs enable individuals to make significant improvements in a very short period. Not only do they help during the program but also later by hosting follow-up programs, guidance sessions, etc.