A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. For this purpose, the neurologist examines the activities of the nervous system, observes the body's reactions to specific stimuli (e.g. the knee reflex), and also uses the results of imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.

Neurologist: what does he do?

Neurologistis a specialist in the field ofneurology , a field of medicine that deals with diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) is nothing but the brain and spinal cord. The neurologist is therefore helpful in studying the causes and treatment of headaches and abnormalities whose source is in the brain, e.g.

  • visual disturbance,
  • speech disorder,
  • imbalance,
  • ataxia.

Therefore, neurology is related to psychiatry, and some diseases are the domain of both. Sometimes a neurologist can also help indiagnosing back paindue to the fact that their cause is pressure on the nerves.

A neurologist also deals with diseases of the peripheral nervous system, i.e. the connections between the CNS and individual organs and muscles.

What is a neurologist for?

The repertoire of neurological symptoms isreally wide.The neurologist deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the following:

  • broadly understood pains,
  • muscle weakness,
  • muscle spasms,
  • muscle tremors,
  • sensory disturbance,
  • problems with motor coordination,
  • tinnitus,
  • dizziness,
  • imbalance,
  • memory problems,
  • sleep disorders,
  • disturbance of consciousness, fainting,
  • abnormal work of the sphincters (e.g. urination disorders).

Their causes can be various. Most often, neurological symptoms area consequence of past injuries, infections, poisoning.They can also be caused by developing tumors, congenital genetic defects, and also be a symptom of diseases such as diabetes, alcoholism, spine degeneration, vitamin B12 deficiency, etc.

What does the neurologist treat?

The diseases treated by a neurologist include:

  • degeneration of the spine,
  • sciatica,
  • epilepsy,
  • multiple sclerosis,
  • Parkinson's disease,
  • Huntington's chorea,
  • Wilson's disease,
  • Alzheimer's disease,
  • stroke and post-stroke conditions,
  • conditions after encephalomyelitis, meningitis,
  • brain tumors,
  • migraine and other headaches,
  • neurosis,
  • myasthenia gravis,
  • myopathy,
  • litter.

Read also: Neurodegenerative diseases: causes, types, symptoms, treatment

What does a visit to a neurologist look like? The course of the neurological examination

During the first visitthe neurologist conducts a medical interviewand performs simple tests of physiological reflexes. The basic one is tapping the knee with a hammer (the so-called knee reflex). In this way, the neurologist checks whether the patient's nerve impulse goes correctly from the receptor, through the spinal cord, to the effector, i.e. the muscle. In addition, the neurologist may also check:

  • biceps or triceps reflex,
  • reflex of thigh adductors,
  • brachial-radial reflex,
  • jumping reflex,
  • Babinski's symptom,
  • Rossolimo symptom.

The neurologist also frequently testsway of walking, correct speech, superficial feeling . During the examination, you may ask, for example, to touch the tip of the nose with your eyes closed with your finger.

Based on the examination of one or more of these reflexes, the doctor may suspect the type of neurological disorder in the patient. If, for example, irritation of the skin on the lateral-lower surface of the foot causes Babinski's reflex, it is likely that the cortical-spinal tract is damaged. An abnormal Rossolimo reflex may indicate multiple sclerosis. Usually, however, to confirm his suspicions, the neurologist orders additional tests.

Read also: Complications after Lyme disease - neurological, articular, cardiac

What tests can a neurologist refer to?

For more detailed diagnosis, the neurologist may order the following tests:

  • computed tomography (CT)- is a very accurate radiological examination that uses x-rays. The most common CT scans of the head and spine are performed, but in fact, any part of the body can be examined this way. It allows to detectabnormalities within the brain, degenerative changes, neoplastic changes ;
  • magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)- just like CT, it is one of thecutting-edge methodshigh-accuracy imaging diagnostics.It is used to examine minor pathological changes;
  • electroencephalography (EEG)- examines the bioelectrical activity of the brain, allows you to recognize a number of neurological diseases, e.g. epilepsy, brain tumor, encephalitis, insomnia;
  • PET-CT emission tomography -a very modern research that is used in nuclear medicine. It is acombination of classical computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) . With the latter method, it is possible to analyze the metabolism of lesions, which is different from that of he althy cells.

Category:

Patient's kit