Neurology clinic

At the neurology clinic we treat problems that originate in the brain, spinal cord and nerves. Most often these are headaches, dizziness, tingling in the limbs, weakness of the limbs, double vision and balance disorders, pain caused by nerve damage, cerebrovascular disease and movement disorders, especially Parkinson's disease.

In Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, the main features are tremor, slowed movements, muscle stiffness and an unsteady gait. People often describe pain caused by nerve damage as burning, stabbing or like an electric shock, often in the feet or hands. Such problems usually develop slowly, so a description of how they have changed over time is important for the assessment.

If you already have a chronic neurological disease, at the examination we advise you on your care so far and on further treatment and monitoring. The examination begins with a conversation, followed by a neurological examination in which the doctor checks strength, sensation, reflexes, coordination, balance and gait. When further tests are needed, the doctor explains which ones make sense.

The neurology clinic works on a self-pay basis, so you do not need a referral and can book yourself, without seeing your personal doctor first. Sudden weakness, slurred speech or a sudden very severe headache, however, are not a reason to book an appointment but to call 112 immediately, as described below.

Specialist care for headaches and cerebrovascular disease is for people for whom headache is more than an occasional nuisance, and for those who have risk factors for stroke or have already had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack.

Headaches differ considerably from one another. Migraine typically affects one side of the head and comes with nausea and sensitivity to light or sound; in some people an aura appears before the attack. Tension-type headache is more even, like a band around the head, and less often stops your day. Cluster headaches come in periods, with very severe pain around one eye. The type of headache also determines the treatment.

The examination begins with a detailed conversation about the course of your symptoms: when they started, how often they occur, what triggers them, which medicines you have already tried and how often you take them. A neurological examination follows. If imaging or further tests are needed to clarify things, the doctor explains which ones make sense and where to have them done.

It helps if you keep a headache diary for a few weeks before your visit: date, duration, intensity, what you did that day and which medicine you took. How often you take painkillers is exactly the information that often changes the assessment, as medication-overuse headache is common and easily overlooked without such a record.

For cerebrovascular disease, care focuses on assessing risk factors: blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fats, smoking, physical activity and heart rhythm disorders. If needed, an ultrasound of the neck arteries may be considered, which shows the state of the arteries through which blood flows to the brain.

Signs of a stroke require immediate action, not booking an appointment. If you notice in yourself or someone else sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body, slurred speech or difficulty understanding speech, sudden loss of vision, sudden loss of balance or a sudden very severe headache with no known cause, call 112 immediately. With a stroke, every minute counts.