What’s the Difference? What Conditions Do They Treat?
At a high level, the medical practice of neurology focuses primarily on health issues related to your brain and central nervous system. Within the specialty, though, there are professionals known as neurologists and others commonly referred to as neurosurgeons. What are the differences? What specific types of conditions does each specialist treat?
What Is a Neurologist?
A neurologist is a medical doctor whose practice involves the diagnosis, treatment, and management of ailments or injuries affecting the brain and central nervous system. Within the practice of neurology, doctors may have specialties, from pain management to neurodevelopmental disorders, including learning disabilities. A neurologist may treat a wide range of maladies, from chronic headaches or sleep disorders to traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries, strokes, or epilepsy. Neurologists can also provide care to persons diagnosed with a range of illnesses, including Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. The common diagnostic tools used by neurologists include MRIs, EEGs, and CT scans.
What Is a Neurosurgeon?
A neurosurgeon is a specialist within the field of neurosurgery who has completed substantial additional medical training to qualify them to perform surgical procedures involving the brain or central nervous system. A neurosurgeon may use a surgical procedure in order to make a diagnosis or treat a condition. Common conditions handled by neurosurgeons include physical injury or trauma to the brain or spinal cord, birth defects, brain or spinal cord tumors, aneurysms, blocked arteries, and nerve ailments.
What’s the Difference Between a Neurologist and a Neurosurgeon?
The fundamental difference between the two professions is that, as the name suggests, neurosurgeons are licensed to operate on patients, whereas neurologists do not have that privilege. Often, you’ll initially visit a neurologist, who may conduct a battery of tests and consult with a neurosurgeon to determine if there’s a surgical procedure that might help clarify your diagnosis or provide some type of relief. Neurosurgery requires additional skills and therefore, neurosurgeons have far more training than neurologists who do not perform surgical procedures.
