Like other medical specialists, neurologists treat disorders related to the nervous system. All the disorders are related to the brain, spinal cord, muscles, and other body parts within the central nervous system.
Nervous systems manage communication in the brain and body; this helps the human body to perform everyday functions. If there is a lack of this communication, children might be deformed and may experience delayed development. Children with neurological disorders often experience headaches, seizures, developmental delay, abnormal movement, and others. Hence, visiting pediatric neurologists become essential.
Who are pediatric neurologists?
Pediatric neurologists work closely with a population that falls in the age category of 0 – 19 years. They oversee the symptoms and address children’s specific conditions. DR. RK Jain is a child neurologist who treats conditions such as migraines, cerebral palsy, and brain injuries. Not all neurologists can treat all types of conditions as they require exquisite information. They undergo specialist training like those done by Dr. RK Jain. To understand the symptoms of the child and recommend the appropriate solution, a neurologist will:
- Analyze the medical history that also includes insights on genetic disease. The parents are also guided on dos and don’ts to prevent nervous system disorders.
- Various physical tests will be performed to evaluate brain health and the nervous system.
- May prescribe medicines and exercises for improving brain health.
- Conducts a variety of imaging tests
- Diagnose and treat chronic ailments that impact the brain’s development and growth. This acute disease might include headaches, learning disability, concussion, etc.
- Performing the specific invasive procedures
- Will work closely with primary care physicians
What conditions are treated by neurologists?
The child neurologist specializes in treating disorders occurring in the nervous system of the children and adolescents. This might include:
- Brain and spinal cord injuries like fractures in the neck, head-related injuries, and others
- Acute headaches like migraines
- Neurodevelopmental disabilities include mental retardation, speech disorder, autism, ADHD, and others.
- Neurovascular conditions like strokes, brain haemorrhage, and others
- Prolonged and acute pain
- Sleep-related issues include sleep-induced breathing disorders, walking in sleep, and terrors during night hours.
- You must seek help from a specialist to prevent the child from serious health risks.
Why do you need to see a pediatric neurologist?
Children’s average growth and development are administered by general pediatricians. These doctors help the parents to understand developmental issues and correct them. However, particular issues like a diagnosis of brain injuries and the weakening of muscles are majorly suggested to neurologists.
You must refer to a doctor if you are experiencing the following symptoms in your child.
- Severe headaches
- Poor muscle balance
- Losing consciousness frequently
- Memory loss
- Issues in making regular movements
- Tremors, delays in development, seizures, and others
- In addition to this, seeking care from neurologists must also be done when
- The child requires close monitoring and patient-centred care.
- The child requires special needs, procedures, and tests to detect the brain’s electrical activity abnormality.
- CT scan is required
Your general physician might refer you to your neurologist if the child is facing any developmental issues. Many neurologists are specialized in detecting hidden symptoms in the early years like autism, disorders in metabolism, muscle, and nerve-related disease, genetic issues, malformations, and others.
It is essential to see a pediatric neurologist within the early years to assist children with average growth and development. Many children are born with a deformed nervous system, while some might face issues in attaining average growth. In addition, the weakness of the children could be challenging to detect as the symptoms correlate with other types of weakness.
The pediatricians will use a range of tests and exams to understand the underlying issue of the symptom, after which you are referred to a neurologist. Thus, visiting specialists like Dr. RK Jain benefits your child in adult age.
What should you expect when visiting a pediatric neurologist?
The doctor’s focus will be to understand the abnormality of the brain and central nervous systems. Hence, an expert may perform tests and tricks to evaluate the abnormality. This might include using a reflex hammer to test the knee and elbow reflexes. Sometimes, neurologists also make light for checking the functions of nervous systems.
The balance and movement growth are also checked. Thus, the child might be asked to walk, change position, spell out or report words, answering the question correctly. These tests are done at the initial stage, after which clinical tests are prescribed.
Brain development helps your child to attain a healthy young and adult life. However, there are stages in early childhood when the child might struggle to attain natural growth. In addition, general pediatricians do not have specialized knowledge to treat disorders of the central nervous system. Thus, pediatric neurologists like Dr. RK Jain will help your child combat acute diseases and attain growth.