The Role Of The Neurologist in Brain Injury Treatment

Importance of the neurologist in the management of traumatic brain injuries

Doctors who treat a victim of closed brain injury usually comprise of several specialties, each one contributing his own perspectives and evaluations to the overall treatment regimen. Among others, the neurologist plays a key role in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.

Who is a neurologist and what role does he play in the treating a brain-injured patient? A neurologist is a physician (MD or DO) specializing in treating ailments affecting the brain and the central nervous system. A neurological problem can have various physical manifestations including structural abnormalities or malfunctioning of specific zones within the entire nervous system of the body.

The neurologists’ job is to diagnose and treat such conditions, while physicians like psychiatrists and neuropsychologists concentrate on rectifying other injury-related problems like cognitive and mental disorders. However none of these specialties work in isolation. They work as a team.

After a traumatic brain injury, no treatment can start without the knowledge of the precise state of the victim’s nervous system. This is where a neurologist plays a critical role. He performs a comprehensive test to provide important information. The scope of his examination include the 12 important nerves of the head and neck, reflex action, sense of balance and muscle coordination, muscle strength and of course his mental and emotional state.

From his test results the treating doctors can access vital information about the victim’s state of consciousness, response to surroundings, general behavioral traits, orientation, attention span and memory.

There are a number of diagnostic tests which the neurologist performs including lumbar puncture, electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography/nerve conduction velocity (EMG/NCV) to identify the precise nature and severity of the brain injury.

A neurologist may at times refer  the victim of a traumatic brain injury to a neuropsychologist depending on the results of diagnostic tests like EEG, EMG, CT and MRI. He does this mainly to seek the opinion of the neuropsychologist as to which areas of the brain are damaged and which is still untouched by the trauma. This critical assessment of the situation would allow him to conclude how the trauma has impacted the victim’s thought procedure and outward behavior.

Diagnosis, treatment and recovery of victims of other types of problems related to brain injuries including seizures are also undertaken by a neurologist.

Related posts:

1. Role Of The Psychiatrist In Brain Injury Treatment
2. The Role Of The Neuropsychologist in Brain Injury Treatment
3. Hypoxic Brain Injury
4. Brain Injuries & Motorcycle Accidents
5. Alarming Statistics For Traumatic Brain Injury

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