

Are there any medications which alleviate the symptoms?Īfter obtaining the appropriate initial history, it is essential to review the patient’s medical history, as certain medical conditions can cause neuropathy affecting the sensory function of the nerves (which allow the patient to feel certain sensations).Is the numbness and tingling related to certain activities?.Is the numbness and tingling worse at night or early mornings?.At this point, the clinician should inquire about the duration of the patient’s symptoms, and exactly what areas are affected by the symptoms.

On our first evaluation of a patient, he or she may report numbness or tingling in one, two or all extremities with or without any pain complaints. In muscles innervated by damaged nerves, the latency of the nerve may be delayed, amplitude may be abnormally large or small, and the clinician may hear certain sounds produced which indicate acute or chronic damage.ĭuring the day-to-day routine in the clinical setting, we try to determine if a patient would benefit from an EMG/NCS through the process outlined below. In a normal muscle, the electrical signal or waveform that is produced has a certain onset or latency, size or amplitude, duration, appearance, and sound. Electro-myo-graphy and Nerve Conduction Studies are, as the names state, electrical studies of the muscle “myo” and nerves. However, once it is broken down into its components, the words explain themselves.

At first glance, the name of this study can easily confuse a patient. EMG & NCS: What do all these letters mean to the patient?ĮMG & NCS.
