Nervous System

The brain is your body's control center. It manages everything from movement and balance to emotions and memory. When a seizure happens, some or all brain functions are temporarily affected.

Your primary healthcare provider may be the first healthcare provider to evaluate you for epilepsy. They may refer you to a specialist for further evaluation. Read on to learn what you can expect.

If you've been diagnosed with epilepsy, your healthcare provider will create a treatment plan for you. Medicines called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the primary treatment for epilepsy. These medicines greatly reduce or prevent seizures in most people who take them. For some people, other treatment choices may be available.

You can do many things to help control your seizures. First follow your treatment plan. If your healthcare provider has prescribed medicines, be sure to take them as directed. Then take the following steps advised here.

Let family and friends know what to expect and how to react when you have a seizure. This helps keep them calm and you safe. All seizures should be treated with care, but tonic-clonic seizures (seizures that make you lose consciousness) require more attention. Here are some pointers for loved ones.

People with epilepsy can lead healthy, productive lives. Life with epilepsy can be challenging, but there are things you can do to make it easier.

People with spinal cord injury (SCI) may be at risk for a serious problem called autonomic dysreflexia (AD). If you have an SCI at level T6 or higher, you should be aware of this problem and how it could affect you.

When you have loss of sensation, you're more likely to hurt yourself and not know it. Learn how to protect your health and reduce your risk of injury.

When you have a loss of trunk control, you can't control your upper body. This puts you at risk for falls and injuries. Read on for safety tips to help you keep your balance.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the brain and spinal cord. Unfortunately, there is no cure for MS. But there are many treatments, and many people with MS can manage their symptoms and lead active, healthy lives. Read on to learn more about MS and its treatments.

A lumbar drain is a soft, thin, sterile tube (also called a catheter) that your healthcare provider places though the skin of your back, into your lower (lumbar) spine. The drain collects cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This is a clear fluid that surrounds your spinal cord and brain to protect them from injury. Read on to learn more about lumbar drain placement and how it's done.

Symptoms of concussion can last for a few weeks or longer. Here's what you can do to help heal.

Delirium is very common in people with advanced illness. With delirium, people have times when they are suddenly confused and unaware of what's going on around them. They may become agitated and restless or withdrawn.

Spinal cord disease can cause a loss of sensation and movement. Learn more about resources that can help you.

When doctors are trying to diagnose a nerve problem, they find it useful to think of what nerve or part of the spinal cord may be involved in the problem. If your leg doesn't work as it should, for instance, your doctor may look at the nerve or nerves that send nerve information from your leg. On the other hand, the doctor might decide your leg problem is linked to a certain part of your spinal cord. When that's the case, the area affected may involve a dermatome - a spinal nerve tied to that area of your leg.

HE is a brain disease that can happen if you have chronic liver disease or cirrhosis.

CBD causes some parts of the brain to shrink and lose nerve cells. This happens over time in the outer layer of the brain (cortex).

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a disease that changes your brain. The symptoms get worse over time.

A functional movement disorder (FMD) is a problem with body movement that doesn't have a clear physical cause, such as nerve damage.

Functional dystonia is a condition that causes muscle spasms (contractions) you can't control. Dystonia causes clenching, bending, or twisting or limbs or joints.

ardive dyskinesia (TD) is a condition that causes repeated body movements you can't control. It's a side effect that some people may have when taking certain medicines for months or years.

Dystonia is a condition that causes muscle movements that you can't control. There are many kinds of dystonia. Focal dystonia means it happens in 1 part of the body. Task-specific means it causes problems with certain tasks, such as writing, playing a musical instrument, or playing a sport.

Know what to expect after a concussion.

Cubital tunnel syndrome is a set of symptoms that may occur if the ulnar nerve in your elbow gets pinched. This may happen if you bend or lean on your elbows often.

Carpal tunnel syndrome leads to tingling and numbness of the hand and wrist. In time, the condition can make even simple tasks hard to do.

Certain repetitive hand activities may put you at higher risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Learning how to modify the use of your hands can help you reduce the risk.

The brain controls the entire body, from regulating breathing and blood pressure to enabling you to move and speak.

A strong blow to the head may cause swelling and bleeding inside the skull. The resulting pressure can injure the brain (concussion).

Learn what to do, and when to call 911, when someone is having a seizure.

Learn more about this painful nerve problem that can cause limited use of the injured area.

Treatment for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) starts with therapy that teaches you ways to move the affected body part. But if your pain prevents this therapy, you may have other treatment first. The sooner you get treatment, the more likely you are to get better.

Peripheral neuropathy is a disease of the nerves in your feet. It may make you unable to sense pain. Lack of pain makes you more likely to injure yourself without knowing it. But you can learn ways to protect your feet from injury.

Peripheral neuropathy is a disease of the nerves. It most often starts in your feet and may also eventually affect the arms. It may cause pain or may make you unable to sense pain. Sometimes, weakness occurs as well.

Charcot foot is a pattern of bone and joint damage that can lead to foot deformity. Charcot foot begins with peripheral neuropathy, a disease of the nerves in the feet.

If you have Charcot foot, you will need to stay off your foot until it heals.

Parkinson disease is caused by a problem with a small area of your brain. This part of the brain helps control your movement and balance. For reasons that are not yet clear, cells in this part of the brain stop working.

Parkinson disease symptoms vary from person to person. Some people may have many severe symptoms, while others have only a few mild ones. Symptoms change over time—different symptoms may occur at different stages, and symptoms may get worse as the disease progresses.

Your doctor may prescribe 1 or more medicines for you, depending on many factors. These include your age, the stage of the disease, and the severity of your symptoms. Consult this chart, which shows the types of medicines and how they help.

Parkinson symptoms are much easier to manage with a good medicine routine.

If your symptoms of Parkinson's disease are severe and medications don't help, surgery may be suggested. Surgery is not a cure. It may help relieve some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, mainly tremor and rigidity.

Here are exercises that can help strengthen your muscles and keep them loose and flexible. Ask your healthcare provider if they're right for you. Your provider or physical therapist may also suggest other exercises.

Parkinson disease can make daily life harder. But certain changes and devices can help you stay independent and active. The following tips suggest ways to handle problems with some daily activities.

Parkinson disease affects muscle control, coordination, and balance, making it harder to get around. Here are some tips to help make these types of movement easier for you.

Parkinson disease can cause changes that make you feel tired, cranky, or depressed. Your healthcare team may be able to help you or refer you to someone who can. Friends, family, and community groups can also offer support.

Many of the symptoms of Alzheimer disease can cause safety concerns. Symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion can lead to unsafe situations. Here are some tips to help keep your loved one safe.

Caring for a person with dementia means planning activities and looking after daily personal needs. Having a regular daily schedule can help. Your loved one will feel most secure with a familiar routine.

Restless legs syndrome is a creepy, crawly feeling in the legs. Medications and lifestyle changes can help.

Do restless legs keep you up at night? Learn how you can help yourself and sleep well.

The symptoms in your back or leg may be due to pressure on a nerve. This pressure may be caused by a damaged disk or by abnormal bone growth. Either way, you may feel pain, burning, tingling, or numbness. If you have pressure on a nerve that connects to the sciatic nerve, pain may shoot down your leg.

After laminectomy or laminotomy. your healthcare team will help you control pain, get up and move, and keep your lungs clear.

You have a problem disk in your lower back. This disk problem may be corrected with a diskectomy. This is the surgical removal of a part of a disk. There are 3 types of diskectomy. Each has risks and benefits. Your surgeon will advise the type that's best for your back and your health.

The spine has three natural curves. The cervical curve is located in the neck. It forms the top part of the spine. For this reason, it is also called the cervical spine. This sheet tells you more about the parts of the cervical spine and damaged disks. This is a common problem that can affect the cervical spine, but most people don't need surgery for this.

The most common back problems happen when disks tear, bulge or rupture. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and other symptoms.

Seizures can be caused by irritation or damage to the brain from trauma, scar formation, tumors, stroke, or infection. Usually the cause is unknown. However, most partial seizures can be successfully treated. With treatment, most people with seizures lead normal, fulfilling lives.

For most people, medicines can control partial seizures. But there are many kinds of partial seizures, so it may take some time to find the best medicines for you. Your healthcare provider may try several kinds of medicines at varying doses before finding what works best for you. You can help make medicines a success by following these suggestions.

Because seizures may happen at any time, it helps to be prepared. This is true even if medicine usually keeps your seizures under control. Start by telling those you live and work with about your health condition. Make sure they know what to do if a seizure happens

With a little bit of planning, most people with partial seizures are able to lead active, fulfilling lives. You can, too. These tips can help you stay as healthy as possible and head off seizures before they happen.

Bell's palsy is a nerve disorder that usually happens suddenly and without warning. This condition happens when a nerve that controls facial movement is damaged. Nerve damage can happen for many reasons. But most cases of Bell's palsy are probably caused by a virus.

Your spine stretches from the base of your skull to your tailbone. It's composed of 33 bones (vertebrae) stacked on top of one another.

A person with a neck or spine injury shouldn't move or be moved. The person should lie still and wait for an emergency medical team.

When one car hits another, each person's body is thrown toward the impact, then away from it. This is whiplash. Even at slow speeds, the force puts stress and strain on the spine, especially the neck. The weight of the head stretches and damages muscles and ligaments, and may pull spinal bones out of line.

Fractures in the bones of the spine (vertebrae) can cause severe back pain and loss of movement. Vertebroplasty is a procedure in which a type of surgical cement is injected into the fractured vertebrae. This can make the spine more stable and ease back pain.

Plan ahead for both your surgery and recovery. Be sure to follow any instructions you are given. And talk to your doctor if you have questions about surgery or how the procedure will be done.

Learn what to expect in the hospital following your back surgery.

The sooner you become active, the sooner you'll get back to your normal routine. Follow these tips to protect your healing back.

These tips can help make some tasks easier and will help protect your back after surgery.

Getting back to your daily routine means taking care to protect your back. These tips can help you.

Taking care of your health can help you recover faster, feel better, and reduce the risk of reinjury.

Lumbar radiculopathy is irritation or inflammation of a nerve root in the low back. It causes symptoms that spread out from the back down 1 or both legs.

Learn about seizures and epilepsy.

Learn about the symptoms, treatment, and prevention of meningitis.

Instructions for taking care of yourself after carpal tunnel release surgery.

Here are tips to help speed your recovery from cervical disk surgery.

You had a cervical fusion. During this procedure, your healthcare provider locked together (fused) some of the bones in the curve of your neck. This limits the movement of these bones to help ease your pain. Here's what you need to know about home care after this surgery.

You have been diagnosed with a concussion. This is a type of brain injury caused by a sudden impact to your head. It can also be caused by sudden movement of your brain inside your head, such as from forceful shaking. Some concussions are mild, and most patients have a full recovery. Others are severe. Early care and monitoring are important to prevent long-term complications.

Craniosynostosis happens when the bones in your baby's skull grow together, or fuse, too early. If the bones fuse too early, brain growth can be restricted. Or the shape of the head will be unusual. This can lead to developmental problems and sometimes seizures. Here are instructions for home care following surgery to correct this condition.

You had a craniotomy, which is the surgical opening of the skull. Your healthcare provider needed to do this to perform brain surgery. Recovery after a craniotomy varies, depending on why the procedure was done. The guidelines provided here are for general care. Ask your healthcare provider to provide additional information based on your specific condition.

You have been diagnosed with epilepsy, a disorder of recurring seizures. When you have a seizure, an electrical disturbance happens in your brain. There are different kinds of seizures, and each patient may have one or many types of seizures. Here are some guidelines for you and your family.

You have been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a condition that affects the nervous system. In people with GBS, the immune system attacks the nerves, often following an infection. However, it can also arise out of the blue. This attack can cause weakness or even paralysis. GBS is a temporary illness. Most people return to normal and have no further problems. Others may have some permanent nerve damage. Here's what you can do to help yourself recover.

Instructions for care at home after a kyphoplasty.

Instructions for caring for yourself after laminectomy.

Instructions to help you care for yourself after having lumbar fusion.

You have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the brain, the spinal cord, or both. MS involves the destruction of the covering of the nerves (myelin sheath). When the nerves are damaged, messages from the brain are not transmitted very well. Here are some things you can do to feel better.

You have been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a disease that affects the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. This causes the muscles to become weak. Here's what you can do to help yourself feel better.

You had a nerve/muscle biopsy. This procedure is done to identify a disease. It can also check the condition of your nerves, muscle, or both. Learn how to care for your incision after the procedure.

You had a vertebroplasty done to help ease back pain caused by fractured vertebrae. Read on for home care instructions to follow after the surgery.

A halo ring and vest brace device keeps your head and neck from moving after a neck fracture or surgery. Read on to learn how to care for yourself at home with this device.

A Jewett brace keeps your back in position while it is healing after surgery or injury. Wear your brace as directed by your doctor.

Your healthcare provider has prescribed a thoracolumbar sacral orthosis brace (TLSO) for you. A TLSO is a back brace. It's used to keep your back straight after surgery to help treat scoliosis or a spine fracture. Using the TLSO correctly will help you move on your own.

Caring for someone with Parkinson Disease is tiring and can be frustrating. It's important to take care of yourself too.

Home safety in an important concern when you have Parkinson disease. This sheet can help you set up your home to be safe.

It's important to plan now for the changes that will come with Parkinson disease. Key areas to focus on include budgeting for medical, household, and long-term care expenses.

Treatment for Parkinson's disease includes medicines, activity, and sometimes surgery.

Meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. It's most often caused by germs that infect the fluid and lining.

Delirium is a sudden change in a person's mental state that fluctuates over short periods of time. Read on to learn more.

Delirium happens most often in older people who have a serious illness. There's a greater risk if the person has dementia. But delirium can happen at any age.

If you have a friend or family member who is at risk for delirium, you can do things to help. There's no guarantee that these measures will prevent delirium. But they may reduce risk.

Delirium is treated by finding and treating the underlying cause. It has many possible causes, such as reaction to medications, changes in blood chemistry, infections, strokes, and acute heart diseases.

Dementia and delirium are both health conditions that change a person's ability to think clearly and care for themselves. They do share some similar symptoms. But they have different causes, treatment, and outcomes.

Delirium is a sudden change in a person's mental state. The signs of delirium happen quickly, over the course of hours or days. Read on for a checklist and 2 simple tests to help you determine if a loved one has delirium.

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a disorder that slowly weakens muscles. MD can make movements such as walking and standing up hard to do. It may even cause deformities in the joints.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease that affects a child's nervous system. It damages the nerve cells that control how muscles work. As a result, a child's muscles gradually weaken and waste away.

A fusion is a surgery to join 2 or more bones together. During an extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF), this is done on the spine.

A fusion is a surgery to join two or more bones together. During a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), this is done on the spine. Two of the bones of your back (vertebrae) are joined together, and one of your spinal disks is removed.

An arachnoid cyst is a fluid-filled sac of the brain or spinal cord. It forms between the brain or spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane. An arachnoid cyst contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These cysts appear most often in children, but they may also occur in adults.

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a disorder of nerves and muscles that can occur many years after someone had polio. It can cause new muscle weakness that gets worse over time. It also causes pain in the muscles and joints, and tiredness.

Carnitine is a nutrient that helps the body's cells work normally. Secondary carnitine deficiency is when there isn't enough carnitine in the blood. This can cause muscle weakness. It can also cause heart or liver problems. Secondary carnitine deficiency can by caused by a number of health problems.

A colloid cyst is a type of brain cyst. A brain cyst is an abnormal fluid-filled sac in the brain. The cyst usually contains a thick gel-like substance called colloid. A colloid cyst is generally benign (not cancer).

A dermoid cyst is the growth of normal tissue in an abnormal place in the body. The cyst is benign (not cancer). It contains different types of tissue, such as hair follicles, cartilage, sweat glands, and glands that make skin oils. A dermoid cyst in the brain or spinal cord is a rare type of dermoid cyst. They often appear in children under age 10, but can also appear in older children and young adults.

An epidermoid cyst is the growth of normal tissue in an abnormal place in the body. It contains skin and nail tissue. An epidermoid cyst is also called an epidermoid tumor. The cyst is not cancer (benign). But in rare cases, an epidermoid cyst may turn into skin cancer.

A pineal is a type of brain cyst. They are generally not cancer (benign). Read on to learn about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

Choroid plexus papilloma (CPP) is a rare type of brain tumor. It is generally benign (not cancer). Benign also means that the growth does not spread to other parts of the body. CPP are generally slow-growing tumors. It is very rare for this type of tumor to spread outside the brain.

Carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) deficiency is a rare condition that causes muscle weakness and other symptoms. It happens because of a problem with 1 of 2 enzymes, CPT1 or CPT2.

An eye twitch is an automatic blinking of your eyelid that you can't control. This abnormal blinking may happen many times per day. If eye twitching is severe, it can cause problems with your eyesight.

A foraminotomy is a surgery to widen an area in one of your spinal bones (vertebrae). This takes pressure off of a nerve that is compressed by the bone.

McArdle disease is a rare muscle disorder. The symptoms often appear in childhood. But some people are not diagnosed until later as an adult.

This is a type of surgery to fix a disk in the lower back. Minimally invasive surgery uses 2 or more small cuts (incisions) instead of one large incision. This may lead to less pain after surgery, and faster recovery.

This is a type of surgery on the bones of your backbone (spine). This type of surgery uses smaller cuts (incisions) than standard surgery. This often causes less harm to nearby muscles and other tissues.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a set of symptoms in the shoulder, arm, or hand. It occurs from a narrowing of the thoracic outlet. This is the space between your collarbone and your first rib.

Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors are types of rare tumors that occur in the brain or spinal cord. There are many kinds of these tumors. But a person will have just one tumor of one type.

Sixth nerve palsy is a problem with eye movement. It happens because of a problem with the sixth cranial nerve, also called the sixth nerve.

A vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is a device that can help prevent seizures. It can also treat depression, obesity, as well as other conditions. It has 2 parts: a pulse generator and leads. The pulse generator sits in your chest under your skin. The leads run from the generator to a vagus nerve in your neck. The VNS is put in your body during a surgery.

A vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is a device that can help prevent seizures. It can also treat depression. Read on to learn more about how this device works.

Burr holes are small holes that a neurosurgeon makes in the skull. Burr holes are used to help relieve pressure on the brain when fluid, such as blood, builds up and starts to press on brain tissue.

A fusion is a surgery that joins 2 or more bones together. During an extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF), this is done on the spine.

McArdle disease is a rare muscle disorder. The symptoms often appear in childhood. But some people are not diagnosed until later as an adult.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a set of symptoms in the shoulder, arm, or hand. It occurs from a narrowing of the thoracic outlet. This is the space between your collarbone and your first rib.

Sixth nerve palsy is a problem with eye movement. It happens because of a problem with the sixth cranial nerve.

Sixth nerve palsy is a problem with eye movement. It happens because of a problem with the sixth cranial nerve. In some cases sixth nerve palsy is present at birth (congenital). It can also result from other problems that occur later on. Treatment will depend on the cause.

Cervical radiculopathy is irritation or inflammation of a nerve root in the neck. It causes neck pain and other symptoms that may spread into the chest or down the arm.

Endoscopic endonasal surgery is a type of procedure to treat problems, such as a tumor, in the front or bottom of the brain or top of the spinal cord.

FSHD is a genetic disease of the muscles. It causes your muscles to break down and weaken over time.

A skull fracture is a type of head injury. It is a break in the skull bone. A mild break may cause few problems, but more severe breaks need surgery right away.

An external ventricular drain (EVD) is a thin tube that drains extra cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from your brain. The extra fluid may be caused by illness or injury.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system.

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies destroy neuromuscular connections. This causes problems with communication between nerves and muscle, resulting in weakness of the skeletal muscles. Myasthenia gravis affects the voluntary muscles of the body, especially the eyes, mouth, throat, and limbs.

Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disorder. It causes your hands, head, trunk, voice, or legs to shake rhythmically. It is often confused with Parkinson disease. It is most common in people older than age 65.

A neck fracture is a break (fracture) in one or more bones in the neck.

Myasthenia gravis is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by sporadic muscular fatigue and weakness. This video explores possible causes of this disease, as well as available treatments.

Dystonia is a body movement disorder. It causes your muscles to contract, move involuntarily, or get stuck in an abnormal position.

Optic neuritis is a condition that affects the eye and your vision. It occurs when the optic nerve is inflamed.

Femoral neuropathy refers to a pinched or compressed femoral nerve or other damage to this nerve.

Your healthcare provider may order evoked potential tests. These check the signals your brain and spinal cord (parts of your nervous system) receive from other parts of your body. They are also used to check for vision, hearing, and sensory or motor problems.

Evoked potential tests measure the electrical activity in the brain as nerve pathways are stimulated.

A lumbar puncture is also called a spinal tap. It may be used to look for problems in your brain, spinal cord, and related structures.

From start to finish, your procedure will take about 30-60 minutes. The test may be done in a medical office. Sometimes the procedure is done in a radiology suite with X-rays as a guide.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a test that measures your brain wave activity. It is used to assess your brain function.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test to find problems in the electrical activity of the brain. Read on to learn what happens before, during, and after the test.

If you have severe carpal tunnel syndrome, you may have carpal tunnel release surgery.

Burr holes are small holes that a neurosurgeon makes in the skull. Burr holes are used to help relieve pressure on the brain when fluid, such as blood, builds up and starts to press on brain tissue.

A craniectomy is a surgery to remove a piece of your skull. It's done to help relieve pressure in the skull when fluid builds up and presses on the brain.

A craniectomy is a surgery to remove a piece of your skull. It's done to help relieve pressure in the skull when the brain swells or blood builds up and presses on the brain.

A foraminotomy is a surgery to widen an area in 1 of your spinal bones (vertebrae). This takes pressure off a nerve that is compressed by the bone.

A fusion is a surgery to join two or more bones together. During a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), this is done on the spine. Two of the bones of your back (vertebrae) are joined together, and one of your spinal disks is removed.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a type of therapy that uses electrical stimulation to treat neurological conditions such as Parkinson disease (PD), tremors, and dystonia. It can ease symptoms and decrease the amount of medicines you need, and improve your quality of life.