Dr. Ron Bingham, Dr. Miles Johnson do much more than evaluate neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome and other common nerve and muscle problems.

“We find ourselves seeing more and more complex cases and serving a wider geographic area,” said Dr. Bingham.

Here’s a sampling of some of their interesting recent cases …

 
  • A man has a water skiing accident and dislocates his shoulder. His shoulder muscle becomes weak. “We test and determine that the nerve to the deltoid muscle has been injured, but not severed,” said Dr. Bingham. “The outlook is good; no surgery is needed.”
  • A patient is unable to shrug or raise his right shoulder. He gets a lump in his throat when trying to swallow. During the physical exam, Dr. Bingham notices that the trapezius (shoulder) muscle is smaller on the right side of the patient’s body. “Based on the patient’s history and the exam, we find that the man has a pinched nerve in the base of his skull. We recommend special X-ray studies; a cancerous tumor is found and surgically removed.” The man is doing well today.
  • An elderly man comes in with weakness; he can’t raise his leg to get into the car. “Our testing determines he has a muscle disease called inclusion body myositis, which is treatable with steroids. He had been suffering for two years, seeing numerous physicians before he was sent to us.”
  • While grocery shopping, a woman can’t let go of a can of soup. Instead of picking up items for her grocery cart, she slides them off the shelves and into the cart. A man can’t let go of a handshake, creating social problems. Both have the disease myotonia congenital, or the inability to relax certain muscles.
  • A woman complains she can no longer push the hairspray button with her index finder. “We find she has a pinched nerve in her forearm,” said Dr. Bingham. “Surgery released the nerve, and her problem was solved.”