Other Neurological Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which there is excessive pressure on the median nerve. This is the nerve in the wrist that allows feeling and movement to parts of the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers. Your MMG Neurologist may recommend wearing a splint for several weeks, placing warm and cold compresses on the affected area, and avoiding sleeping on your wrists. If these recommendations do not help, he or she may perform carpal tunnel release. This is a surgical procedure that cuts into the ligament that is pressing on the nerve.

Muscle Diseases

Muscle diseases affect the function of muscles because of problems with the nerves and muscles in your body. The most common symptom patients of these diseases experience is muscle weakness.

Some of the most common Muscle Diseases include

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Myopathy
• Myositis, including polymyositis and dermatomyositis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Spinal muscular atrophy

Your MMG Neurologist can provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment of these diseases.

Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a type of autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Patients of this disorder may experience breathing difficulty because of weakness of the chest wall muscles,
chewing or swallowing difficulty, difficulty climbing stairs, lifting objects, or rising from a seated position, drooping head and eyelids and facial paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles. There is no known cure for myasthenia gravis, but your MMG Neurologist can recommend lifestyle changes and medication to help manage your symptoms.

Ulnar Neuropathy

Ulnar neuropathy puts pressure on the ulnar nerve when the elbow is bent. This reduces the supply of blood to the nerve. Over time, this causes damage to the nerve. When the “funny bone” is hit, this pulls the ulnar nerve into the bony groove of the cubital tunnel. This leads to a characteristic tingling sensation in the small and ring fingers.Your MMG Neurologist may recommend exercises to help prevent stiffening in your arm and wrist and to aid the ulnar nerve to move through the cubital tunnel. If physical therapy does not help, your Neurologist may recommend ulnar nerve decompression surgery, a minimally invasive surgery to divide the ligament that makes up part of the cubital tunnel.

Sciatica

Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of a medical problem. It is not a medical condition on its own. As sciatica is a symptom of another medical condition, the underlying cause should be identified and treated. In some cases, no treatment is required and recovery occurs on its own. Conservative (non-surgical) treatment is best in many cases.