Exactly what does it include to check for neurological issues?
A neurological exam screens for abnormalities of the central nervous system. The brain, spinal cord, and nerves that connect them make up what is known as the central nervous system. It regulates and orchestrates every aspect of your body and mind, from simple reflexes to the most intricate mental processes.
There are around 600 unique diseases and conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord. Disorders like these are among the most common:
- Diffuse rotatory slowing of the limbs caused by Parkinson
- Sclerosis multiple
- Meningitis Epilepsy
- Stroke
- Cluster headaches
There is a battery of tests that make up a neurologic evaluation. You’ll be put through a battery of tests that evaluate your central nervous system’s ability to maintain your balance and control your muscles.
Alternately known as a neurological examination
To what end does it serve?
An evaluation of the nervous system may assist diagnose any potential disorders. Getting the proper therapy and maybe avoiding future issues depends on a prompt diagnosis.
If I’m feeling OK, why do I need a neurological checkup?
If you have any signs of a problem with your nervous system, you should be checked out. Common symptoms, regardless of condition, include:
- Headache
- Problems with balance and/or coordination
- Numbness in the arms and/or legs
- Blurred vision
- Changes in hearing and/or your ability to smell
- Changes in behavior
- Slurred speech
- Confusion or other changes in mental ability
- Weakness
- Seizures
- Fatigue
- Fever
To what extent does a neurological examination involve?
Most often, a neurologist will do a neurological examination. Disorders affecting the brain and spinal cord need the expertise of a neurologist, a kind of medical practitioner. Your neurologist will perform a number of tests to evaluate the health of your neurological system. A neurological exam may consist of any or all of the following, depending on the patient’s symptoms:
- The condition of one’s mind. The date, location, and time will likely be among the first questions asked by your neurologist or another clinician. Tasks may be assigned to you as well. Among them include recalling a list, identifying things, and reproducing precise geometric forms in art.
- Harmony and equilibrium. You may be asked to walk a straight line by your neurologist, with each foot in precise alignment with the one in front of it. Closing your eyes and touching your nose with your index finger are other possibilities.
- Reflexes. Reflexes are involuntary reactions to stimuli. An individual’s reflexes may be examined by having a tiny rubber hammer gently tap various parts of the body. Your body should react in a specific manner to the hammer blow if your reflexes are normal.
- The neurologist may tap on several parts of your body, including the back of your knees, your arms, your legs, your feet, and your hands and feet.
- Sensation. Your neurologist may use several equipment to make contact with your legs, arms, and/or other body parts. A tuning fork, a dull needle, and some rubbing alcohol might be among them. You will be tested on your ability to recognize unpleasant feelings including heat, cold, and discomfort.
- Nerves in the skull. Your organs and certain other parts of your body, as well as your eyes, ears, nose, face, tongue, neck, and throat, are all connected to your brain via these nerves. Each of your 12 nerve pairs has 12 nerves. Based on your symptoms, your neurologist will conduct tests on several nerves. Smell identification, attempting to talk while sticking out your tongue, and side-to-side head movement are all possible tests.
- It’s also possible that your eyesight and hearing may be checked.
- Neurological control of automatic bodily functions. This network regulates vital activities including respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and core body temperature. Your blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate may be checked in various positions (including sitting, standing, and laying down) by your neurologist or other clinician as part of this test.
- Other evaluations may involve seeing how your pupils react to light and measuring your perspiration levels.
Will I need to do anything to prepare for a neurological exam?
You don’t need any special preparations for a neurological exam.
Are there any risks to the exam?
There is no risk to having a neurological exam.
What do the results mean?
Your neurologist will likely prescribe further tests to aid with diagnosis if any of the findings from the exam were abnormal. One or more of the following are examples of possible diagnostic procedures:
- Examination of bodily fluids, blood and/or urine
- Radiology and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
- A sample of the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is being analyzed. A transparent fluid called cerebrospinal fluid cushions your brain and spinal cord. A little amount of this fluid is extracted for testing purposes.
- Biopsy. For diagnostic purposes, a tiny sample of tissue may be removed during this surgery.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) are diagnostic procedures that record electrical activity in the brain and the muscles, respectively.
- Check up with your neurologist or healthcare provider if you have any concerns or questions regarding your findings.
Can you tell me anything else I need to know before going in for a neurological examination?
Symptomatically, illnesses of the nervous system and mental health conditions often overlap. This is due to the fact that certain symptoms of abnormal behavior may really be indicators of a problem in the central nervous system. Your doctor may suggest a neurological exam if you get abnormal results from a mental health screening or if you have been exhibiting unusual behavior.