Feelings of weakness that you should see a doctor for are different than tiredness or muscle aches after a long hike or lifting too many weights. You should consult your provider if you experience muscle weakness that impacts your daily activities or a rapid decline in muscle strength, especially in your arms and legs. It could be caused by a more serious condition or disease of your nervous system, such as stroke.
Problems moving, like difficulty walking, being clumsy, unintentional jerks or movements, tremors, or others, can be symptoms of a problem in your nervous system. You may want to see a neurologist if these movement problems interrupt your daily life, though something like a tremor can be a side effect of medication or anxiety. However, if your tremors also affect your daily activities, you may want to see a neurologist.
Seizures can be almost unnoticeable or very extreme. Symptoms of seizures can range from staring to loss of consciousness, jerking movements of the arms and legs, breathing problems, confusion, or loss of consciousness. While some seizures could be caused by low blood sugar or withdrawals from addictive substances, you should consult your provider for seizures that seem sudden or without any obvious cause.
Your primary care doctor can help you determine how serious your seizure is and if you should see a neurologist. Difficulty seeing can be caused by aging or by the nervous system. If the difficulty is sudden and happens in both eyes, you may want to have your vision evaluated. Either an eye doctor or your primary care doctor can advise you on whether you should see a neurologist about your vision problem.
Problems speaking, extreme problems with memory, changes in personality, or confusion are all symptoms that could be caused by disorders or problems in the brain, spine, and nerves.
Your primary care doctor can help you examine your symptoms and decide if you need to see a neurologist. While we know many obvious causes of sleep problems, going to bed too late, having a condition like sleep apnea or anxiety, nightmares, or others, some sleep problems are neurological disorders.
Many of these symptoms could be part of a disorder that is not neurological. Your primary care doctor is your greatest resource in helping you decide if you should see a neurologist. Plastic surgeon Dr. Faizi Siddiqi and neurosurgeon Dr.
John R. Kestle discuss ho There are some things everyone should know how to do: CPR, first aid, and recognizing the signs of a stroke. The nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord and is made up of two parts: the central and peripheral nervous system. Because the nervous system is so complex, it is common for neurologists to pursue additional education in a subspecialty. When a neurologist elects to specialize, they do so by completing a fellowship in that area.
Some common specialties include:. Neurologists are principal care providers when a patient has a neurologic disorder that requires frequent care. Neurologists commonly assume a consulting role for primary care physicians in the case of stroke, concussion, or headache. Neurologists do not perform surgery, but may refer patients requiring surgery to a neurosurgeon or spine surgeon. In the case of surgery, a neurologist may continue to monitor and supervise treatment. A neurologist treats disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles.
Common disorders of the nervous system include:. A Neurologist will treat diseases that attack the nervous system, such as:. Neurological diseases and disorders are common, and the risk of developing one increases with age. Neurologic disorders, such as injury of the nervous system, are also a common occurrence. Research shows that as many as 60 million people worldwide may suffer a traumatic brain injury each year.
It is important to know the signs of neurological diseases and disorders, as they are serious and may be life-threatening when left untreated. Your primary care physician may refer you to a neurologist if you are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms :.
In this article, we discuss what neurologists do, including the types of conditions that they treat, the procedures they perform, and when a person might see this specialist. A neurologist is a medical doctor who specializes in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating diseases that affect the nervous system.
The nervous system has two parts :. Due to the complex nature of the nervous system, many neurologists focus on treating certain populations of people or people with specific neurological diseases.
After completing their residency training, many neurologists spend a year or more in a fellowship program where they gain experience in their subspecialty. Neurologists treat neurological conditions, which are problems that affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. These conditions include:.
Neurologists perform a range of different tests and procedures to diagnose and treat neurological conditions.
A neurologist can use a lumbar puncture to collect a sample of spinal fluid. They may use this procedure to help diagnose the following conditions :. Neurologists can also use a lumbar puncture to treat conditions that affect the spinal cord.
They can inject anesthetics, antibiotics , or cancer treatments using a lumbar puncture needle. During an EMG, a specially trained technician inserts small needles called electrodes into the muscle. These electrodes record the different electrical activity that occurs in muscle tissue during periods of movement and rest. Neurologists use electroencephalograms EEG to measure and record electrical activity in the brain.
Neurons in the brain communicate with other neurons through electrical impulses, which an EEG can pick up. An EEG can also track brain wave patterns. These electrodes connect to a computer that converts electrical signals into patterns that the technician can view on a screen or print on a piece of paper. Neurologists can use EEG results to identify abnormal electrical activity in the brain and diagnose certain conditions, such as:.
Myasthenia gravis is a rare neuromuscular disease that weakens the muscles in the arms and legs. A neurologist can use a blood test called a Tensilon test to diagnose myasthenia gravis. Tensilon is the brand name of a drug called edrophonium, which prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates muscle movement. Myasthenia gravis causes the immune system to attack acetylcholine receptors in the muscles, which causes muscle fatigue and decreased muscle movement.
During a Tensilon test, a neurologist will inject a small amount of Tensilon into the bloodstream. Then, they will ask the person to perform different movements, such as:.
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