Neurology
What is neurology?
Neurology is a branch of medicine that handles disorders of the nervous system, which consists of the brain, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Physicians who study neurology are called neurologists, and neurosurgeons are doctors who treat neurological disorders with surgery.
Neurology can be divided further into various subspecialties, such as:
- Clinical neurophysiology
- Neurodevelopment disabilities
- Vascular neurology
- Child neurology
- Pain medicine
- Hospice and palliative medicine
- Sleep medicine
- Endovascular surgical neuroradiology
- Neuromuscular medicine
Why is neurology important in healthcare?
Those who study neurology help treat diseases affecting the nervous system, thus improving the quality of life of patients and their loved ones.
Conditions that fall under the field of neurology range from relatively low-impact and acute to debilitating and chronic, including:
- Headaches
- Muscle disorders and pain
- Brain and spinal cord tumors
- Epilepsy
- Stroke
- Neuritis and neuropathy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Alzheimer’s disease
Neurology is a constantly growing field, and advances within it have progressed exponentially just within the past few decades. As research in neurology continues, doctors will have more knowledge and abilities to diagnose, treat, and even cure various neurological disorders.