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A neurosurgeon diagnoses and treats conditions of the brain, spinal cord and nerves — and operates only when it is the right option. Dr Mathew Tung has practised medicine since 1984 and specialised in neurosurgery since 1991.
This is the single most common reason people put off the appointment. The word “surgeon” is in the title, so the assumption is that walking in means signing up for an operation.
It does not. Most people who consult a neurosurgeon here do not go on to have surgery. The first consultation exists to work out what is causing your symptoms and to set out the options — which usually start with medication, injections, physiotherapy or simply time and monitoring. Surgery is one option among several, considered when the others have not worked or when the situation calls for it.
These are two separate medical specialties, and the names are close enough that people often book the wrong one. Both diagnose and manage conditions of the brain, spine and nerves. The difference is that only one of them can operate.
| Neurologist | Neurosurgeon | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Diagnoses and manages nervous system conditions medically | Surgically trained; manages many of the same conditions and can operate |
| Typically seen for | Epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, ongoing medical management | Slipped disc, spinal stenosis, nerve compression, brain and spinal tumours, aneurysm |
| Treatment | Medication and ongoing monitoring | Injections, minimally invasive procedures, surgery when needed |
| If surgery turns out to be needed | Refers you to a neurosurgeon, who assesses you again from the start | The same doctor who diagnosed you carries out the operation |
A great deal overlaps. Headache and migraine, nerve pain, numbness, dizziness and most spine problems are all assessed and treated by either. Where the two genuinely diverge is at the point a decision about surgery has to be made.
A neurologist cannot operate. If your condition reaches the point where surgery is the right answer, they refer you to a neurosurgeon — and that surgeon begins by working out your case from the beginning: the history, the examination, the imaging, the reasoning behind the diagnosis.
Start with a neurosurgeon and that step does not arise. The doctor who has followed your symptoms, ordered your scans and watched how you responded to non-surgical treatment is the same one who would operate. Nothing has to be handed over, and nothing gets lost in the handover.
If your symptoms follow an injury, or an MRI has shown a structural problem such as a disc pressing on a nerve, a neurosurgeon is usually the more direct route for this reason.
Much of Dr Tung's practice is non-surgical. Headache and migraine are a substantial part of it — including preventive treatment, where the aim is fewer or milder attacks rather than only managing them once they start. Nerve pain, neuromuscular conditions, dizziness and vertigo are assessed and treated here too, and most of that work never reaches an operating theatre.
The distinction that matters is not surgical versus medical. It is that a neurosurgeon can do both, so the treatment can escalate without you having to change doctor.
Not everything overlaps, and it would be misleading to suggest otherwise. Conditions requiring long-term medical management and monitoring by a neurologist are better placed there. If yours is one of them, we will say so at the consultation rather than treat it here.
The specialist at this clinic is a neurosurgeon. If your condition is better managed by a neurologist, we will tell you that at the consultation rather than treat it here — and you will still leave knowing what is going on.
Sudden severe headache, sudden one-sided weakness, loss of speech or loss of consciousness are medical emergencies. Go to an emergency department or call 995 — do not wait for a clinic appointment.
Dr Tung treats disorders of the brain and spine, with particular focus on back pain, neck pain, nerve pain, and headache and migraine — including preventive treatment aimed at reducing how often and how severely attacks occur. He has practised medicine since 1984 and specialised in neurosurgery since 1991.
His approach prioritises non-invasive options before open surgery, aiming to minimise morbidity and return patients to normal function quickly. In spinal conditions he favours motion preservation, and reversible treatments that can be repeated, over fusion.
Read Dr Tung’s full profile — training, conditions treated and procedures.
Bring any MRI, CT or X-ray images and reports, a list of medications you take, and any referral letter. Most people who consult a neurosurgeon do not go on to have surgery.
No. You can book directly. Bring any referral letter and imaging if you have them.
Allow around 30 minutes for a first consultation, longer if imaging needs to be reviewed in detail.
We work with major insurers and Integrated Shield plans. Check your coverage with our clinic staff before your visit — see insurance partners.
No. The specialist here is a neurosurgeon. That covers most of the same ground — headache and migraine including prevention, nerve pain, neuromuscular conditions, dizziness and spine problems are all treated here, usually without surgery. The difference is that if an operation does become the right answer, it does not mean starting again with a different doctor. If a neurologist is genuinely the better fit for your condition, we will say so at the consultation.
Yes. Bring the imaging and any written recommendation you have been given.
Bring your scans. You will leave knowing what is causing your symptoms and what the options are.
