Patients with routine complaints are treated and followed, but for patients with relatively uncommon diseases such as TM, a referral to a neurologist is often in order. Internists are specialists in internal medicine. The scope of an internist s practice typically includes diseases of the heart, lung, liver, kidney, blood, digestive system, joints, and endocrine systems. Internists are trained to treat adults, and many will seek subspecialty training in a particular organ system. Like family practitioners, internists tend not to have advanced training in the neuromuscular system, and would typically refer a patient with TM to a neurologist.
Neurologists are specialists in the neurologic system.
Neurologists also treat some diseases of the muscle. The neurologist will often be the one called on to make the diagnosis of TM and determine if a cause can be found. Someone who is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation is called a physiatrist . While other medical specialists aim at preserving and maintaining life, physiatrists are trained to preserve quality of life. When a neurologist examines the patient, he or she is trying to determine the cause of the disease with the hopes of prescribing a medical or surgical treatment.