What is neurosurgery?

Neurosurgery deals with problems in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This includes the brain, spine, and nerves.

A doctor who focuses their work on this is called a neurosurgeon or neurological surgeon. These doctors can help treat many kinds of issues, including pain. They can treat issues through surgery and in other ways. Some of the things they can treat are:

• Problems with blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord.

• Issues with the pituitary gland, such as prolactinomas.

• Tumors in the brain, like gliomas, meningiomas, and others.

• Problems with, or infection in, the spinal cord and spine.

• Issues with nerves, like carpal tunnel or trapped ulnar nerve.

• Problems with the autonomic nervous system, which controls things like sweating.

• Movement disorders, like Parkinson's disease.

• Pain disorders, like trigeminal neuralgia.

• Injuries to the brain or spine, both recent and older ones.

• Some types of epilepsy.

• Problems with the fluid around the brain and spine.

• Conditions after an injury, like post-concussion syndrome.

• Disorders that affect how you function, like Tourette syndrome and depression.

• Inherited diseases that affect the nervous system.

• Problems in children and teens, like issues with the skull, spine, or blood vessels.

• Serious issues in the ICU, like brain swelling and coma.