Conditions we diagnose and treat

Find advanced neurological care at Ascension St. Vincent with personalized treatment for brain, spine, and nerve conditions.

Understanding whether your symptoms are related to a neurological condition is important. Whether it’s persistent headaches, dizziness, numbness, memory changes or weakness, don’t delay speaking with a doctor to better understand and treat your neurological condition or symptoms.

Dementia is a general term for changes in memory, thinking and behavior that interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.

A brain tumor develops when healthy cells in the brain begin to change by growing and functioning in a different way. These cancerous cells can begin to build up and form a mass called a tumor. Brain tumors may be cancerous or noncancerous.

Brain tumors form in two main ways:

Primary brain tumor: This type of tumor begins in the brain when an abnormal cell grows and forms a tumor.
Metastatic (or secondary) brain tumor: This type of tumor begins as cancer in another part of the body, such as the lungs or breast, and spreads to the brain. The cancer cells in the brain remain the same type as the cancer where they first developed.

A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a blow to the head or a forceful impact to the body that makes the brain move rapidly inside the skull.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes recurring seizures. It affects thousands of adults and children. A seizure happens when there’s a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This activity can cause the body and brain to react in certain ways.

Essential tremor is a condition that causes shaking you cannot control, most often in the hands, but it can also affect the head, voice, or other parts of the body. While it is not life-threatening, the shaking can make everyday activities like eating, drinking, or writing more difficult.

A headache is pain or discomfort in the head or face. Headaches can vary greatly in terms of where the pain occurs, how severe it is and how often it happens. Common types of headaches include migraine, tension headaches, and cluster headaches.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Normally, your immune system protects your body from viruses, bacteria and other harmful substances. With MS, your immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers, disrupting communication between the brain and the rest of the body.

Parkinson disease (sometimes shortened to PD or Parkinson’s) is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement. It is the most common form of parkinsonism, a group of conditions that cause movement-related symptoms.. Although Parkinson’s disease changes over time, treatment and support can help many people manage symptoms and maintain quality of life.

Sciatica is pain that travels along the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. It usually happens when a nerve in the lower back is irritated or compressed. Sciatica is a symptom of an underlying condition, not a condition itself.

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within the spine. This narrowing can put pressure on the spinal cord or nearby nerves. Symptoms vary depending on where the narrowing occurs and may include pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the back, legs, neck, shoulders or arms.

A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. A stroke is a medical emergency. Call 911 right away if you or someone else has signs or symptoms of a stroke.