Unless you know somebody that has used neurological services in the past then there is every chance you won’t know what it is and, what it entails. Hopefully you’ll never need to use the services yourself but, just in case, it certainly helps to be well informed, especially if a close friend or family member is in need;
What is Neurology?
Essentially, neurology is a form of medical treatment that deals with disorders of the nervous system. As you can imagine, it is a highly skilled profession that requires the utmost of care and attention, which is why the doctors that perform neurological procedures are specialists in and referred to as neurologists.
Treatments
First of all, the neurologist must diagnose what the problem is and, what’s causing the condition with the use of neurology, in order to do so, they must conduct numerous physical examinations using a variety of techniques. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to this kind of treatment and the answers usually stem from some kind of electrical imbalance which is caused by the brain so, as you would expect, each patient is dealt with in an extremely personal manner in order to asses and treat the symptoms.
Typical tests performed by a neurologist
By now, you’re probably thinking well, what do the neurologists actually do? To add a bit more meat to the bone, please see following which are some examples of frequently used neurologic tests performed to complete the evaluation process:
- CT (computed tomography) and CAT (computer-assisted tomography) scans are used for examination.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is another type of scan that can be done to help assess the function of the patient’s brain patterns and, hopefully highlight where things might be going wrong
- Neurologists can often make us e of electroencephalography (EEG), it’s also another method of scanning the brain and assessing electrical signals from the brain to the body
- Nerve conduction studies and electromyography (NCS/EMG) are two types of nerve conduction investigations that are often used in order to reproduce physical symptoms in hope of tracing the source.
- For cerebral spinal fluid examinations, a lumbar puncture (LP) is usually performed in order to relieve pressure and to help the client regain some movement that may have been lost somehow.
Procedures rather than surgery
Neurologists are not like neurosurgeons since they do not operate on the brain or spinal cord, instead, they focus on procedures more along the lines of rehabilitation, having said that, they do collaborate closely on a variety of diseases, sometimes even working simultaneously in the operating room.