ALS - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles which progresses rapidly and is invariably fatal. www.alsa.org Alzheimer's - Alzheimer's is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized in the brain by abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers composed of misplaced proteins. Alzheimer's symptoms may include memory loss, language deterioration, impaired ability to mentally manipulate visual information, poor judgment, confusion, restlessness, and mood swings. Eventually the disease destroys cognition, personality, and the ability to function. www.alz.org Back Pain - Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Acute back pain may produce various pain modalities from "stabbing" pain to a limited range of motion. Back pain that persists over a three month period is referred to as chronic back pain and is generally progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine. www.back.com Bell's Palsy - Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis resulting from trauma or damage to one of the paired facial nerves normally occurring on one side of the face. Symptoms range in levels of severity from mild weakness to complete paralysis and can cause permanent facial distortion. www.bellspalsy.ws Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. It is a painful progressive condition characterized by gradually increasing pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. www.ctsplace.com Cephalic Disorders - Cephalic disorders are congenital conditions that stem from damage to or abnormal development of the fetal nervous system most commonly caused by a disturbance that occurs very early in the development. This early damage causes chronic, disabling disorders, and sometimes death in infants, children, and even adults. www.neurologychannel.com/cephalicdisorders Cerebral Palsy - The term cerebral palsy refers to a neurological disorder that appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination that doesn't worsen over time. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements and most commonly present at birth. www.ucp.org Charcot Marie Tooth Disease - Charcot - Marie - Tooth disease (CMT) is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders. CMT comprises a group of disorders caused by mutations in genes that affect the normal function of the peripheral nerves. It weakens the muscles in the limbs and commonly causes hand and foot weakness and eventual muscle atrophy. www.charcot-marie-tooth.org Chronic Pain - Unlike acute pain, which is a normal sensation that alerts you to possible injury, chronic pain persists. The pain signals keep firing for weeks, months even years. Like arthritis, cancer, etc. may also produce chronic pain. Coma - A coma is a profound or deep state of unconsciousness. A comatose individual is alive but unable to move or respond to external stimuli. Coma may occur during an illness or severe injury. Dementia - Dementia is a descriptive term for symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. Dementia is characterized by the loss of various cognitive abilities i.e. memory, language skills, problem solving and emotional control. www.alz.org Guillain - Barre Syndrome - Guillain - Barré (ghee - yan bah - ray) syndrome is a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The syndrome most commonly occurs following a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection and begins with weakness and/or tingling in the arms or legs. The syndrome may progress to near paralysis although most patients recover. www.gbsfi.com Headaches/Migraines - There
are four types of headache: vascular,
muscle contraction (tension), traction, and inflammatory. A migraine headache
is a vascular headache and most often characterized by severe pain on one or
both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and, at times, disturbed vision. Headaches
can serve as warning signals for more serious disorders. www.migraines.org Hereditary Neurologic Diseases - Many neurological disorders are present at birth and inherited from one or both birth parents, these are hereditary. www.hdsa.org Huntington's Disease - Huntington's disease is caused by genetically programmed (passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene) degeneration of brain cells which causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. www.hdsa.org Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system which many believe to be an autoimmune disease. It is an unpredictable disease usually manifesting between the ages of 20 and 40, with symptoms ranging from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. www.nationalmssociety.org Myasthenia Gravis - Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by weakness of the voluntary muscles in varying degrees that increases during active periods and decreases after rest. This disease is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles. www.myasthenia.org Myopathies - There are several different groups of myopathies which include: congenital myopathies, muscular dystrophies, mitochondrial myopathies, glycogen storage disease of muscle, myoglobinurias, dermatomyositis, myositis ossificans, familial periodic paralysis, polymyositis, neuromyotonia, stiff man syndrome, common muscle cramps and stiffness and tetany. Myopathies are either inherited or acquired neuromuscular disorders in which the primary symptom is muscle weakness due to dysfunction of muscle fiber. www.neurologychannel.com/myopathies Neck Pain - Neck pain may be caused by muscles or nerves. Neurological neck pain most commonly results from significant muscle spasm pinching on a nerve or a slipped disk pressing on a nerve. In addition to pain, numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in extremities may be present. Peripheral Neuropathy - Peripheral neuropathy describes damage to the peripheral nervous system in any form. The peripheral nervous system transmits information from the brain and spinal cord to every other part of the body. With over one hundred types of peripheral neuropathy the symptoms and causes vary widely. Parkinson's Disease - Parkinson's disease is among a group of conditions called motor system disorders which result from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination. As the disease progresses, daily activities become difficult to impossible. www.parkinson.org Seizures (epilepsy) - Epilepsy is a brain disorder which causes brain cell clusters to respond abnormally. Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity can cause a seizure and only after two or more seizures is a person considered epileptic. Sleep Disorders - There are several different sleep
disorders from apnea to insomnia that affect millions of Americans. Proper
diagnosis can allow for treatment. Spinal Cord Injury - A spinal cord injury usually begins with trauma to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The long - term outcome can range from full recovery to paralysis. Stroke - A stroke is caused by one of two situations; either the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or a blood vessel in the brain bursts causing bleeding into or around the brain. www.stroke.org Tics/Tourette's Syndrome - Tourette
syndrome (TS) is characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements
and vocalizations called tics. Tics may include eye blinking, facial grimacing,
shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Some tics may also be
more disturbing causing the patient to punch themselves, utter swear words or
continually repeat the words of others. www.tsa-usa.org Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)- A brain injury caused by an external mechanical force such as a blow to the head, concussive forces, acceleration-deceleration forces, or a projectile missile such as a bullet. Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. www.traumaticbraininjury.com Tremor - Tremors are unintentional, to - and - fro muscle movements of one or more parts of the body. Tremors may occur in otherwise healthy people or be part of another neurological disorder. www.neurologychannel.com/tremor Vertigo/Dizziness - Vertigo can be caused by a number of other neurological disorders and causes mild to severe dizziness. www.neurologychannel.com/vertigo |
