Electromyography

What is electromyography?

Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic test measuring electrical activity between nerves and muscles. The team typically performs EMG with a second diagnostic test, a nerve conduction study (NCS).

Nerve testing with EMG and NCS helps diagnose problems by:

• Pinpointing the location and extent of nerve damage
• Differentiating between nerve and muscle problems
• Identifying underlying nerve disorders

Your provider may also use nerve testing to evaluate disease progression.

When would I need electromyography?

Your Center for Neurology and Spine provider recommends electromyography to identify the cause of nerve- and muscle-related symptoms like pain, tingling, numbness, spasms, and weakness. 

Nerve testing helps your provider diagnose many muscle and nerve conditions, including:

• Motor problems (tremors and muscle twitching or stiffness)
• Peripheral neuropathy (damaged nerves throughout your body)
• Radiculopathy (pinched nerve in your spine)
• Epilepsy (having two or more seizures)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (pinched nerve in your wrist)
• Myositis (muscle inflammation and weakness)
• Muscular dystrophy (a group of diseases causing progressive muscle weakness)
• Myasthenia gravis (autoimmune disease causing weakness in skeletal muscles)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (disease affecting nerves in your brain and spinal cord)

The Center for Neurology and Spine has a proven record of accurately diagnosing these and other neurological conditions using EMG and NCS. 

What happens during electromyography?

The Center for Neurology and Spine values each patient, explaining the procedure and answering questions before moving forward. However, these are the basics of EMG and NCS procedures: 

EMG procedure

Your provider inserts thin needles into a specific muscle (the one exhibiting weakness, spasms, or other symptoms). The needles contain small electrodes that pick up nerve signals as you tighten and relax the muscle, revealing nerve disorders such as muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 

NCS procedure

A nerve conduction study reveals how well electrical signals travel through a specific nerve. Your provider places electrodes on your skin above the nerve. Then, they use an electrode at the end of the nerve to send a mild electrical impulse, triggering a signal that travels through the nerve.

Other electrodes pick up the electrical activity along the nerve, providing information about the strength and speed of the signal. NCS diagnoses conditions like diabetic neuropathy, peripheral nerve injuries, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Call the Center for Neurology and Spine or book online to schedule electromyography or learn more about the procedure.