{"id":689,"date":"2020-06-11T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T13:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/?p=689"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:09:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:09:22","slug":"the-difference-between-a-neurologist-and-a-neurosurgeon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/the-difference-between-a-neurologist-and-a-neurosurgeon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between A Neurologist and A Neurosurgeon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You may have heard the terms neurologist and neurosurgeon used interchangeably, but these are actually two separate positions that help patients with a variety of neurological conditions. In today\u2019s blog, we take a closer look at the difference between these two neurospecialists, and we explain which one might be right for your condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurologist Vs. Neurosurgeon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a closer look at the duties and conditions treated by each group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurologists<\/strong> \u2013 A neurologist is a physician that treats conditions and diseases of the brain and nervous system. They can work on a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to headaches, sleep disorders, brain tumors, peripheral nerve disorders, Alzheimer\u2019s and multiple sclerosis. However, a neurologist does not perform corrective surgical procedures. Because they don\u2019t perform operations, many neurologists opt to hyperfocus on a specific set of neurological disorders. Instead of being a jack of all trades, many decide to focus on a neurological sub-specialty, like pediatric neurology, vascular neurology or epilepsy care, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A neurologist will undergo four years of pre-med education at a college or university and four years of medical school to earn their MD or DO degree. From there, they will typically do a one-year internship and at least three years of specialty training in a neurology residency program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurosurgeons<\/strong> \u2013 As the name implies, a nuerosurgeon is a doctor who treats neurological conditions both with or without surgery. You may assume that neurosurgeon is just another name for a brain surgeon, but that\u2019s not a true assessment either. As you can tell by our blog and website, Dr. Chang is a neurosurgeon that performs corrective surgical procedures on the brain, neck and spine. In fact, most neurosurgeons perform more spinal operations each year than brain operations, so they aren\u2019t just brain surgeons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most common conditions that neurosurgeons treat with conservative options or an operation include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n