One thing about neurologist that you have to be aware of is the fact that he is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing as well as treating disorders of the nervous system. Speaking of nervous system, this is a term that best describes a portion of the body that includes the spinal cord, peripheral nerves as well as the brain, and involves a plethora of conditions which affects anything, from cognitive skills to motor functioning. When it comes to how neurologists begin treating their patients, they will only do so right after these patients where referred to them by another doctor, especially internal medicine physicians or general practitioners. When the patient has been referred to them by another doctor, what neurologists often do is that they will take a complete medical history of the patient, and perform evaluation that will determine the condition of his nervous system. The evaluation conducted by the neurologist will test the following: sensory capabilities, patient’s reflexes, cognitive function, coordination, cranial nerves, gait, and also, motor skills. Medical history is taken by the neurologist as a way of knowing whether or not the patient’s family has history of any neurological conditions or diseases.
There are other things that you have to be aware of regarding neurologists like how they treat different kinds of medical conditions. Bear in mind all the time that the medical conditions being treated by neurologists range from the common ones like headaches, infections, and also, sleep disorders, to more serious ones such as strokes, head trauma, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, dementia, multiple sclerosis,Parkinson’s disease, and seizures as well. On the other hand, the treatment provided by neurologists will depend on the kind of medical condition they are treating. Most of the time, they will refer their patients to different specialists for treatment, prescribe them with medications, or they recommend as well as assist with a surgical procedure. In the event that the medical condition of the patient affects his or her coordination, reflexes, and motor skills, this means that the neurologist will refer him or her to a physical therapist.
Other than the things we mentioned above, there are still more that you need to know regarding neurologists like how they are asked to evaluated patients who are unresponsive and are on life support. In this matter, the neurologist will proceed on examining the patient, determine whether his or her brain has ceased functioning.
For those of you out there who are planning on becoming a neurologist, know that this job is not easy as you have to deal with the most sensitive parts of the body. That is why neurologists have to undergo intensive training, and get proper education as these things will help them handle these regions of the body in the most delicate way possible.