The doctor will look at and listen to the electrical signals that travel from the needle to the EMG machine. The doctor examines only the muscles necessary to decide what is wrong. There may be a small amount of pain when the needle is put in. A new needle is used for each patient, and it is thrown away after the test. Needle EMG (Electromyography)įor this part of the exam, a small, thin needle is inserted into several muscles to see if there are any problems.

These stimuli cause a quick, mild tingling feeling. This is done by applying small electrical stimuli to the nerve and recording how the nerve works. NCSs show how the body’s electrical signals are traveling to a nerve. Some of the tests that the EMG doctor may use are nerve conduction studies (NCSs) and/or needle EMG. You are being sent to the EMG lab because you have numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, and/or muscle cramping. Why am I being sent to the EMG Lab for tests? It teaches doctors the things that can go wrong with the human body and how to tell the difference between these things. Medical training helps the doctor decide which tests to perform based on your problems. Most work as neurologists or physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors. What medical training do doctors who do EMGs have?ĭoctors who do EMGs go to 4 years of medical school and then have 3 or 4 more years training in a residency program. A trained assistant, a technologist, under a doctor’s supervision can do nerve conduction studies (NCSs). The American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine’s policy is that an appropriately trained doctor should do all needle EMG (electromyography) testing. The results of the tests will help your doctor decide what is wrong and how it can be treated. The EMG doctor examines you to decide what tests to do. You can have problems with your muscles and nerves in only one part of your body or throughout your body. The EMG test your doctor has recommended studies if your muscles and nerves are working right. ELECTROMYOGRAM (EMG) What to Expect During Your EMG TestĮlectrodiagnostic medicine studies diseases of the nerves and muscles.

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