An EMG nerve test of the arm, paired with a nerve conduction study, shows whether an arm or neck nerve is being squeezed or has been damaged. At the Padda Institute in St. Louis a physician performs it and writes the report. To prepare, wear loose sleeves and skip lotion on your arms that day.
Your physician orders this test when the answer will change your care. Ordered tests are tracked at each visit of our physician-directed physiotherapy program until they are complete.
EMG (electromyography) and NCS (nerve conduction study) are done together. Together they show whether a neck or arm nerve is pinched or injured. A physician does the testing and signs the report. For the bigger picture, read what nerve testing actually measures.
Arm or hand numbness, tingling or weakness may begin in the neck, at the elbow or at the wrist. The test shows which spot and how bad it is, so the treatment, whether exercise, an injection or a nerve block, is aimed at the right place.
First, pads on the skin send brief electrical pulses down the nerve; each one feels like a quick snap. Next, a fine needle samples a few muscles, and that part feels like a pinch. Afterward, nearly everyone carries on with their normal day.
Choose a top with loose sleeves. Leave your arms free of lotion on test day.
Thirty to sixty minutes.
Show us you have it: Walk us through how you will get ready on the morning of the test. If any part is unclear, ask, and we will walk through it again at your next visit.
Related reading: numb hands: carpal tunnel or the neck, electrodiagnostics.
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