What is a neurologist?

172

A neurologist is a physician (as opposed to a surgeon) who specializes in diseases of the nervous system. Neurologists are licensed by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and deal with all aspects of the brain, spine and peripheral nervous system.

Some of the most common conditions diagnosed and treated by neurologists are:

Migraine and other headache disorders
Dementia (Alzheimer’s and others)
Concussions that do not require surgery (fortunately, most do not)
Parkinson’s disease, other movement disorders (tremor, etc.)
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), other muscle diseases
Myasthenia gravis
multiple sclerosis
Seizures, other seizures leading to loss of consciousness.
diseases of the spine (neck and back, sciatica, myelopathy)
Carpal tunnel, other types of “pinched” nerves
dizziness and vertigo
Neuropathy (numbness in the hands and/or feet).

Neurologists are experts in diagnosing disorders of the nervous system and are also instrumental in the medical (non-surgical) treatment of these disorders. Neurologists are often able to treat patients without surgical intervention, and typically refer patients to neurosurgeons when surgical treatment is an option (typically patients diagnosed with a brain tumor or other mass or spinal disorder requiring surgical treatment).

Neurologist training includes a three-year residency in neurology followed by a one-year medical internship. Many neurologists complete an additional one to two years of fellowship or residency training, usually specializing in neuromuscular disorders/EMG, epilepsy/EEG, stroke, multiple sclerosis, neurobehavioral, neuroimaging (MRI), and headache.

Neurology hospital in Dubai