Health Notes

Notes from our neurologists on what causes pain and what testing can actually tell you.

Oct 26, 2026Guide
Androgenetic Alopecia: Why Do Hair Follicles Keep Getting Thinner, and Why Doesn't It Stop?
If the amount of hair you shed each day feels about the same, but your scalp is starting to show through at the crown, it helps to understand the change in which hair follicles shrink. Androgenetic alopecia is a condition in which hair follicles gradually get smaller, so the new hair that grows in comes in thinner and shorter. For example, when a male office worker in his 40s compares his current appearance with a photo from a few years ago, the number of hairs he loses per day hasn't changed much, yet the hair at his crown and on both sides of his forehead has thinned into vellus-like…
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Oct 19, 2026
Leg Numbness That Lingers Only Above the Knee and Sacral Pain: Features of Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome
If one spot beside your sacrum hurts when you stand up from sitting and the numbness in your thigh stays above the knee, you have features that make pain from the sacroiliac joint worth suspecting. Sacroiliac joint syndrome is a condition in which pain develops in the joint that connects the sacrum and the ilium at the back of the pelvis and in the ligaments around it.
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Oct 12, 2026
Hand Tremor That Gets Worse When Holding a Cup: Simple Nervousness or Essential Tremor?
If your hands shake when you lift a cup or write, even familiar movements can start to weigh on your mind. This article looks at whether a tremor that appears the moment you use your hands comes from brief nervousness or from long-lasting essential tremor.
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Oct 7, 2026
Spinal Stenosis and Leg Numbness That Stops You While Walking: How to Find the Compressed Nerve
If your buttocks and calves go numb while you walk and you keep having to stop, it is worth checking for spinal stenosis. When the nerve roots that run from the lower back into the legs are compressed, leg numbness stands out more than back pain.
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Sep 29, 2026
BPPV Symptoms: Vertigo When You Roll Over in Bed and Video Nystagmography
If the world briefly spins and then stops right after you roll over in bed, and this keeps happening, you start to notice that turning your body in bed and a brief spinning sensation go together. When the things around you spin each time you turn your head a certain way or lie down and get up, even everyday movements become cautious. This pattern is often explained by a problem in the vestibular organ deep inside the ear.
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Sep 21, 2026
Rotator Cuff Tear: Is Arm Weakness Coming From the Tendon or a Nerve?
People who feel their arm give out when lifting it and who wake at night with shoulder pain struggle both with daytime arm use and nighttime sleep. This post explains how to tell whether shoulder weakness comes from a torn rotator cuff tendon, a compressed nerve, or both.
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Sep 14, 2026
Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms: How Is Tingling in Both Feet Different From a Herniated Disc?
If both feet feel dull and burn at night, it's important to distinguish peripheral neuropathy from lumbar nerve compression. This article explains differences in symptom distribution, the role of nerve conduction and EMG studies, and how management differs depending on the underlying cause.
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Sep 10, 2026Guide
Hallux Valgus: When Your Big Toe Starts to Drift and Shoes No Longer Fit
When the front of your shoes suddenly feels tight and the inside of the big toe joint keeps rubbing, it is easy to think that only the shape of the toe has changed. Hallux valgus is a progressive forefoot deformity that alters the alignment of not only the big toe but also the first metatarsal and the sesamoid bones beneath it.(Hecht Paul J et al., 2014)
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Sep 7, 2026
Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow: Pain on the Outside and Inside of the Elbow Has Different Causes
The two conditions are named according to where the pain occurs. Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow causes pain on the inside. They are simply named after sports and can occur even in people who have never held a racket. They are more common with everyday activities that involve repetitive hand use, such as housework or working with tools.
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Aug 31, 2026
Distinguishing Morton's Neuroma from Plantar Fasciitis: Burning Between the Toes That Eases When Shoes Come Off
If burning between your toes eases once you take your shoes off, the interdigital nerve—not the plantar fascia—is more likely involved. This nerve runs between the metatarsal heads in the forefoot and gets repeatedly compressed by tight-fitting shoes.
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Aug 21, 2026Guide
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Nighttime Hand Numbness May Not Be Coming from Your Wrist
Waking up at night with numb hands does not automatically point to carpal tunnel syndrome. The pattern of affected fingers, whether symptoms extend to the little finger, and whether moving your neck changes the sensation all matter. The right treatment depends on where the nerve is compressed and how much damage has occurred.
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Aug 19, 2026Guide
Plantar Fasciitis: When Your First Steps in the Morning Hurt — and Your Sole Goes Numb
If the inner side of your heel hurts most with your very first steps in the morning, the problem likely starts where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone. If you also feel numbness, burning, or reduced sensation in the sole, the ankle, spine, or peripheral nerves need to be evaluated as well.
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