Medicine
Volume 36, Issue 10 , Pages 515-519, October 2008

How to perform a neurological examination

Adrian Wills BSc MBBS MD FRCP MMedSci is a Consultant Neurologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, and the Derby Royal Infirmary, Derby, UK. He qualified from St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and trained in neurology in Gloucester, Bristol and London. His research interests include the neurology of coeliac disease and ventilatory dysfunction in muscular dystrophy. Competing interests: none declared

Abstract 

The neurological examination is an essential part of the diagnostic process and is mistakenly thought of as difficult or esoteric by medical students and junior doctors. It should be used as a form of hypothesis testing once a differential diagnosis has been formulated from the patient’s history. This contribution analyses the various components of the neurological examination so that the reader may perform with confidence. As in any other walk of life, however, practice makes perfect.

Keywords: cranial nerves, gait, higher function, limbs, neurological examination, speech

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PII: S1357-3039(08)00210-7

doi:10.1016/j.mpmed.2008.07.008

Medicine
Volume 36, Issue 10 , Pages 515-519, October 2008

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