In some nerve conditions only specific nerves are affected, as in carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the median nerve. This is because in some nerve diseases all the nerves are affected, often beginning in the feet: They are called polyneuropathies, for example, diabetes. Usually you can wear your underwear under a hospital gown that allows the person doing the test to reach your arms and legs easily.ĭifferent patients will have different nerves and muscles studied, depending on what is being tested for. The test is usually done with the patient lying down. You don’t need to stop eating or drinking beforehand. Other medications don’t need to be stopped. Some patients with anxiety about procedures take their usual medications.

However, the patient must be able to cooperate for both tests, especially for EMG, when varying degrees of muscle activation/contraction are required. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies are important and helpful in diagnosing motor neuron diseases (ALS), spinal root diseases (disc herniations), peripheral neuropathies (diabetes), single nerve damage (carpal tunnel syndrome), neuromuscular transmission disorders (myasthenia gravis), and primary muscle diseases (muscular dystrophies).īoth procedures are typically uncomfortable but not very painful, and local or generalized anesthesia is not needed in adults. They are the most important tests for diagnosing many neuromuscular diseases and their severity. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies, commonly known as 'EMG,' are diagnostic tests that measure the electrical activities of peripheral nerves (outside the spinal cord) and muscles.

Back and leg pain with normal emg