During this test the procedure may be repeated 3 or 4 time per extremity being tested. Between the brief shocks you will not feel pain. You will feel a tingling sensation that may or may not be painful. Small recording electrodes are attached to the surface of one part of your limb, and another pair of electrodes will be placed further away on your skin to deliver the shock. If there are any problems along its length, you will know it by a failure of the current to go through. A nerve works something like an electrical wire, so to test the currency the easiest thing to do is to run electricity through it. During the first part, Nerve Conduction Studies, some brief electrical shocks are delivered to your arm or leg in an effort to determine how fast or slowly your nerves are conducting the electrical current. What happens during an EMG?ĭuring this test, you will be fully awake and lying on an examination table next to an EMG machine that looks like a laptop computer. Performing an EMG/NCS can assist the doctor in ruling out a suspected condition or confirming a diagnosis.

This could be due to nerve compression (pinched nerve), an injury, nerve root injury, or other problems or diseases of the muscles or nerves. There are some medical conditions that the muscles or nerve’s electrical activity is not normal. Both tests are generally done at the same visit in the same room.

Often, EMG testing is performed with another test that measures the conducting function of nerves. What is Electrodiagnostic Testing (EMG/NCS)?Įlectromyography, or EMG, is a diagnostic test that the physician may order to assess the electrical activity of muscles.

Pain after emg test