Looking for a good Neurologist in Tokyo and advice on getting a referral

I’m looking for a good neurologist in Tokyo that can do nerve/dizziness examinations beyond just an MRI/X-ray. I’ve been dealing with nerve tingling in my neck/shoulder area and lower back as well as dizziness. I’m also looking to hear experiences on getting a referral. Every decent looking hospital that offers more in depth nerve stimulation testing/ dizziness exams absolutely require a referral. The problem is I’ve been to 3 different clinics now, gotten xrays and MRI’s but stop short of doing anything more than that. They’ve all said it looks normal. I’m glad to have that done but they all refuse to give any sort of further guidance or diagnosis, saying they don’t know the cause and they don’t seem to be interested in doing any sort of process of elimination or further nerve/dizziness testing etc.. When I search in English, I see lots of nerve/dizziness tests and devices to narrow down a root cause but they don’t do any of that. I’ve just gotten a bunch of different medicines that hasn’t done a damn thing. I’d just like at least a clue as to what could likely be causing this and what I can realistically do/try.

I’d like to hear about other peoples experiences getting a referral in this case. The doctors i’ve been to so far seem convinced its basically nothing, just stress, since the MRI and xray was clear. If i push them for a referral, am I able to request a particular hospital? Or its totally up to the doctor? I just want to get into one of the bigger hospitals for some more in depth examination but it feels impossible dealing with these dismissive doctors. I’d like to get in to the University of Tokyo Hospital or something but I don’t know if these small clinic doctors can refer me there.

More specifics on my symptoms in case someone has had something similiar:

A month and a half ago I randomly started having some tingling/vibrating sensation at a specific spot on the back of my neck while working at my desk. I also woke up a few nights and the back of my head/neck was temporarily numb. Since then I’ve also had a bunch of strange tingling sensations but particularly on the back of my neck/shoulder/upper left arm area as well as my lower back. I’ve noticed it most in the morning and night, particularly when i first get up and start moving my neck/shoulder. About a week or so after those showed up I started feeling dizzy when I’m walking around outside etc..Not super dizzy but like a swaying/rocking sort of dizzy that is enough that It definitely feels off/off balance a times. Its been better some days and worse others. I’ve also sometimes felt some soreness on the inner sides of my neck / lower back.

2 comments
  1. [NCNP Hospital](https://www.ncnp.go.jp/hospital/index.html)

    This hospital has the best neurologists in Tokyo, and arguably the whole country. They can review your MRI or order more testing. I’m not your physician, but if they’ve only done a neck/spinal/shoulder MRI a full brain MRI might be a good idea to rule out other neurological issues.

    Unfortunately, for nerve or neurological symptoms, if they can’t see it all they can really do is treat the symptoms with medication. If it’s something visible they can diagnose the issue and go from there.

    You can absolutely request a specific hospital for a referral. Unfortunately there is a difference between a referral and a second opinion. The later of which is often not covered by insurance so be careful. I would word it like this: “I’m very concerned about my prolonged dizziness and would like to see a doctor who specializes in brain disorders to rule out serious illness” NOT “I don’t agree with your assessment that there isn’t something wrong so I want to see someone else”.

    I hope you feel better!

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like