The needle is attached to a wire that gives a signal to a machine, serving as a sort of antenna for your nerves and muscles.ģ. We test different muscles that connect to nerves from different levels of the spine.Ģ.

This test is administered by inserting a very small needle into muscles of the symptomatic limb. Small shocks (2 volts compared to 110 volts in the light socket) are given and the electrodes record the amplitude and speed of the nerve conduction.ġ. These are the basic steps of an NCS/EMG test:ġ.Ğlectrode recording pads are placed at different locations of the symptomatic limb.Ģ. This test actually involves two distinctive parts: a nerve conduction study (NCS) and the electromyography (EMG) itself.

An EMG test will allow us to determine if your nerves and muscles are functioning properly and isolate and diagnose the possible source of your symptoms. Your primary physician or another health care professional can recommend an EMG test if you experience symptoms common to nerve or muscle disorders such as muscle or joint pain, back pain, tingling or numbness in the extremities, weakness, or cramping. When combined with information from a patient's history and a physical exam, EMG tests help us to diagnose and evaluate disorders including: We also check for active nerve damage within the muscles. We use this study to stimulate and measure electrical impulses in the patient's body to detect any nerve dysfunction. Effective treatment is preceded by an effective diagnosis, which is why we offer electromyography, or EMG, as one of our available services.Įlectromyography is actually a two part study we use to study the nerves and muscles to diagnose the possible sources of pain and other symptoms. At Salt Lake Spine & Sports Medicine, we work to give our patients the absolute best solutions for their health concerns.

Emg test used to diagnose foot pain