Blog Archive
Dystonia is classified as a movement disorder that occurs in most cases for unknown reasons, though there's evidence of a family history in about 10-25% of cases. Movement disorders cause a person's muscles to contract uncontrollably, leading to jerky and repetitive movements. Ataxia is another movement disorder. It’s caused by...
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that produces unprovoked and recurrent seizures — abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy can happen to anyone, but it’s most commonly found in young children and older adults, with about three million adults in the US and 470,000 children affected. Epilepsy isn’t curable...
Almost everyone gets a headache at some time or other, and probably one that’s interfered with their day. Did you know that there are over 150 different kinds of headaches, some mild and some that can pose a serious threat to your health? Headaches are so prevalent that, according to...
Dementia isn’t a single disease; it’s an “umbrella” term — like heart disease — that covers a variety of specific medical conditions, all caused by abnormal brain changes. These changes cause a decline in cognitive abilities, as well as in behavior, feelings, and relationships, all severe enough to impair daily life...
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that triggers a variety of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors. It’s usually diagnosed early in childhood, but both children and adults may be diagnosed with it. Generally, it’s a life-long issue, though some children do outgrow it. At Memphis Neurology, our expert...
Trigger points are painful “knots'' in your muscle fibers that are highly sensitive to touch/pressure. They may form after an acute trauma or become chronic by stress on the fibers, such as with repetitive motion. The muscle fibers become stuck in a contracted state, and you can feel the knot...
Many people have one-and-done headaches, but for a segment of the population, head pain is recurrent and persistent. Not all headaches are the same, though. In truth, there are more than 150 different kinds of headache disorders. Some are mildly annoying, while others are crippling; some pose no real health...
Stroke is a condition affecting the arteries leading into the brain and within its tissues. In the United States, it’s the fifth-leading cause of death, as well as a major cause of disability. Arteries carry oxygenated blood and other nutrients from the heart to the body, including the brain. If an...
Dystonia is classified as a movement disorder. It causes a person's muscles to contract uncontrollably, leading to repetitive movements. It can impact a single muscle, a muscle group, or muscles throughout the entire body. Cervical dystonia, also known as spasmodic torticollis, is the most common form, affecting about 1% of...
More than 100 different types of headaches exist, but three top the list: tension-type headaches, migraine headaches, and cluster headaches. Perhaps the least well-known among the general public is the cluster headache. It’s rarer than the other types, but it still affects about 1 in 1,000 people; more males are...
Huntington’s disease (HD), named for George Huntington, the doctor who first described it in the late 1800s, is a rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes uncontrollable movements, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive impairment. While researchers are putting together all the pieces of the disease, most people don’t know a lot about...
Behavior disorders are a group of mental health conditions that affect the way a person interacts with the world around them. Many affect the ability to process information and learn, communicate, and think effectively. They’re often diagnosed in childhood and may persist into adulthood. At Memphis Neurology, our team of...
Being overweight and obesity are two of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States. Being overweight or obese increases your chances of developing chronic health problems. According to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, people aged 60 and up are more likely to...
If you’ve seen one headache … you haven’t seen them all. There are over 100 different types of headaches, but the three most common are tension-type headaches, migraine headaches, and cluster headaches. Of these, perhaps the least known is the cluster headache; while it may be more rare than the other types,...
Myopathy is a disease of the skeletal muscles (muscles that connect to bones) that can lead to weakness, fatigue, and tissue loss. Severe cases can impair organ function, create severe health complications, and even cause respiratory failure. At Memphis Neurology, our team of board-certified, expert neurologists diagnoses and treats all manner of myopathies at...
Stroke is a disease of the arteries entering the brain and within its tissues. In the United States, it’s the fifth-leading cause of death, and a major cause of disability. Our expert team of neurologists at Memphis Neurology specializes in treating patients with both acute and chronic stroke, helping them regain strength and use...
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that produces unprovoked and recurrent seizures — abnormal electrical activity within the brain. Epilepsy can strike anyone, but it’s most common in young children and older adults, affecting about three million adults in the US and 470,000 children. Epilepsy isn’t curable, but it’s treatable, and patients can...
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and one of the leading causes of disability. It’s a circulatory system disease that affects the arteries leading into the brain and those within it. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood, along with a variety of nutrients, from the...
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder. Patients experience unprovoked and recurrent seizures — abnormal electrical activity in the brain. While epilepsy can strike anyone, it’s most common in young children and older adults, with about three million adults in the US and 470,000 children affected. Though epilepsy isn’t curable, it...
Behavior disorders are a group of mental health conditions that change the way a person interacts with the world around them. Many behavior disorders affect the ability to process information and learn, communicate, and think clearly. They’re often diagnosed in childhood and may persist into adulthood. At Memphis Neurology, our team...
Today, Botox® is most commonly known as a cosmetic treatment for fine lines and wrinkles caused by muscle movement, but it was first approved in 1989 for medical applications, specifically strabismus of the eye and eyelid twitching, also known as blepharospasm. In fact, today it’s used to treat more medical...
Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries coming into the brain and within its tissues. In the United States, it’s the fifth-leading cause of death, and a major cause of disability. Arteries are the part of the circulatory system that carries oxygenated blood and other nutrients from the heart...
At a quick glance, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder seem to share a lot of symptoms, making it difficult to tell one from the other. However, the two disorders are fundamentally different, with separate causes, reasons for symptoms, and treatments. At Memphis Neurology, our expert team of neurologists...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease (in the US) or motor neuron disease (in the UK), is a neurodegenerative disease, attacking the nerves in the brain and spinal cord and resulting in loss of voluntary muscle control. Over time, ALS causes a complete loss of...
Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder, one that causes unprovoked and recurrent seizures, episodes of erratic electrical activity within the brain. It’s most commonly found in young children and older adults, and slightly more frequently in males. All told, about three million US adults and 470,000 children suffer...
Movement disorders is an umbrella term for a group of neurological conditions that cause abnormal movements, which may be voluntary or involuntary. These conditions can lead to an increase or a decrease in movement, depending on the exact cause. All have the ability to interfere with the activities of your...
A headache is a headache, right? Absolutely not. In fact, over 150 different kinds of headaches are recognized. Some are mild, some severe, some relatively innocuous, and some can pose a serious health threat. The World Health Organization indicates headaches and migraines are two of the most common conditions worldwide:...
Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes a person's muscles to contract uncontrollably, resulting in repetitive movements. It may impact a single muscle, a muscle group, or muscles throughout the entire body. 1% of the population, mostly middle-aged women and men, experience cervical dystonia. Also known as spasmodic torticollis, cervical...
Stroke is a circulatory system disease affecting the arteries coming into and within the brain. It’s the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and one of the leading causes of disability. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood and other nutrients from the heart to the...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). It can cause a wide range of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. Both children and adults may be diagnosed with the disorder, though in some cases, children grow out of many symptoms. At Memphis...
Autism, now known as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), covers a broad range of conditions that include difficulties with social skills, speech, nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. There’s no “one form” of autism — each individual lies somewhere on the spectrum and has their own set of challenges. According to...
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder. It’s characterized by unprovoked and recurrent seizures, which are periods of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Anybody can develop epilepsy, but it’s most commonly found in young children and older adults, with slightly more males affected. About three million adults in the US,...
Huntington’s disease (HD) is named for George Huntington, the doctor who first described it in the late 1800s. It’s a rare, progressive, genetic disorder that causes uncontrollable movements, cognitive impairment, and psychiatric symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with the disease, which has no cure, you might feel completely helpless. But...
Essential tremor, a movement disorder that leads to uncontrollable, rhythmic shaking, primarily of the hands and head, is fairly common. According to the journal Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements, it affects about seven million people in the US alone. It isn’t a life-threatening condition, and it doesn’t cause any serious...
Dystonia is a group of movement disorders in which a person's muscles in a particular body part contract uncontrollably, resulting in repetitive movements. About one percent of the population is affected, and women are more likely to have it than men. The most common type of dystonia is cervical dystonia,...
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes unprovoked and recurrent seizures, periods of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Anybody can develop epilepsy, but it’s more often found in young children and older adults, with slightly more males than females affected. In the United States, about three million adults...
Behavioral disorders are patterns of disruptive behaviors that start in childhood or adolescence and last for at least six months. They cause problems in school, at home, and in social situations. Every person displays some of these behaviors some of the time, but behavior disorders are more pervasive and serious....
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a neuromuscular disease of the median nerve, which runs from the forearm through the carpal tunnel passageway in the wrist to your hand. The nerve allows for sensation on the palm side of your thumb and all fingers except the pinky. It also provides nerve...
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neuromuscular disorders that affect an individual’s ability to move and maintain both balance and posture. According to the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, it’s the most common childhood motor disability, affecting about one in 323 children. CP is more common...
Also known as clinical depression, major depressive disorder (MDD) causes a persistent feeling of sadness and often results in a loss of interest in things you once found pleasurable. It impacts how you think, feel, and behave, interfering with your daily activities and making you feel that life isn't worth...
A migraine isn’t just a bad headache. It’s a neurological disease that impacts 39 million people in the US and 1 billion around the world. Migraines are the third most prevalent illness worldwide, and the sixth most disabling. While their most common in women between 18 and 44, migraines can strike...
Everybody experiences anxiety from time to time. But if anxiety interferes with your daily life, you might have an anxiety disorder. There's a lot of stigma surrounding mental health. That's why it’s important to understand that anxiety disorders are real, serious medical conditions. Just like heart disease or diabetes. There’s...
Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the United States, impacting some three million adults and 470,000 children. The disorder is characterized by abnormal brain activity that leads to seizures, loss of awareness, and/or periods of unusual behavior and sensations. Epilepsy is a non-discriminatory affliction. It impacts men and women...
Did you think Botox was just for wrinkles? That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, Botox was first created over thirty years ago for medical use. It wasn’t even approved for cosmetic enhancement for another thirteen years. And while many consider Botox a way to shed years off...