Your provider may order these tests if you have:
● Muscle weakness
● Tingling or numbness in hands, feet, arms, or legs
● Muscle cramps, twitching, or spasms
● Unexplained pain or paralysis in certain muscles
● Carpal tunnel syndrome (nerve pressure in the wrist)
● Cubital Tunnel syndrome (nerve pressure in the elbow)
● Herniated disc and pinched nerve in the spine, neck, or back
● Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage, often from diabetes or other causes)
● Ulnar Neuropathy
● Brachial Plexus injury
● Guillain-Barré syndrome
● Muscle diseases like muscular dystrophy or myasthenia gravis
● Inherited nerve disorders like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
● EMG: Measures the electrical activity in your muscles when you rest and when you move.
● NCS: Checks how fast and how strong electrical signals travel along your nerves.
Together, these tests help find out if your symptoms are caused by a nerve problem, a muscle problem, or both.
● You will sit or lie on a table or bed.
● Your provider will place electrodes to your skin above a nerve they’re checking.
● A mild electrical pulse stimulates the nerve, and another electrode records the signal.
● This may cause a mild tingling feeling.
● The stimulation of the nerve and the response will be displayed on a monitor.
● The speed of the muscle response is called the conduction velocity.
● A nerve conduction test may take from 15 minutes to over an hour. The length of time depends on how many nerves and muscles are tested.
● You will sit or lie on a table or bed.
● Your provider will place a small acupuncture-like pin into the muscle.
● This isconnected to a machine used to record your muscle’s electrical activity when you move and relax it.
● You will stay still while the machine records your muscle activity at rest.
● You will tighten (contract) the muscle slowly while the machine records this muscle activity.
● The electrical activity is recorded and shown on a video screen. It looks like wavy and spiky lines.
● The activity may also be recorded and sent to an audio speaker.
● The audio may make popping sounds when you’re contracting your muscles.
● An EMG test may take from 20 to 60 minutes.
● Wear loose clothing so the area can be reached easily.
● Avoid lotions or oils on the skin before the exam.
● Tell your provider if you:
○ Have a pacemaker or defibrillator
○ Take blood thinners
○ Have bleeding disorders
● Most people return to normal activities right away.
● Mild soreness or small bruises during the EMG study may occur for a day or two.
● No long-term side effects are expected.
Your provider will review your test results along with your symptoms and medical history. Abnormal results may point to a nerve or muscle condition, but more tests may be needed for a clear diagnosis.
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