Nerve Path Flashcards
NEURITIS
Inflammation of a nerve, caused by infection, injury, poison, etc. Effect: pain along the nerve’s length and/or loss of use of the structures supplied by the nerve.
BELL’S PALSY
Injury or infection of the facial nerve which subsequently becomes inflamed Effect: facial paralysis.
NEURALGIA
Various causes Effect: bouts of burning or stabbing pain along the course of one or more nerves.
SCIATICA
Pressure on the roots of the sciatic nerve often caused by degeneration of an intervertebral disc Effect: pain down the back and outside of the thigh, leg and foot
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
(also known as disseminated sclerosis) Loss of the protective myelin sheath from nerve fibres in the central nervous system. Effect: causes muscular weakness, loss of muscular coordination, problems with skin sensation, speech and vision.
PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Progressive disease caused by damage to basal ganglia of the brain and resulting in loss of dopamine (neuro-transmitter). Effect: causes tremor and rigidity in muscles, as well as difficulty and slowness with voluntary movement.
CEREBRAL PALSY
Damage to the brain, caused during birth or resulting from a pre-natal defect. Effect: affects motor system control.
MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
A rare progressive disorder, in which the motor neurones in the body gradually deteriorate Effect: weakness and wasting of muscles
MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMELITIS (ME
Also known as post-viral fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome. Effect: exhaustion, general aches and pains, headaches and dizziness, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
STRESS
Stress is any factor that affects mental or physical well-being. Emotions such as anxiety, fear and other negative feelings can affect the nervous system causing increased heart rate, breathing difficulties, sleep disturbances and stomach problems. All of these physical effects are caused by the nervous system over-working in response to stress.
