EMG/NCS (Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Study)
Electromyography is a diagnostic procedure to enable us to assess the health of your muscles and the nerve cells that control them. Your nerve cells (motor neurons) transmit electrical signals that cause your muscles to contract. An EMG translates these signals into graphs, sounds or numerical values that we interpret.
An EMG uses tiny devices called electrodes to transmit or detect electrical signals. During an EMG, we insert a needle electrode directly into a muscle which records the electrical activity in that muscle. The second part of your EMG involves a nerve conduction study. NCS uses electrodes taped to your skin to measure the speed and strength of signals traveling between two or more points. EMG results can reveal nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction or problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission.
