EMG Examination

Hello everyone,

did anybody had a EMG exam before ?

How is It Performed? I need one for my Hand and feet .

Do I have to take off my clothes?

Does it hurt ?

Thanks for answering my questions 😃

Yes, had one recently, no undressing just roll up my shirt sleeve, best to wear a short sleeve shirt and when the arms and hands are done just roll up trouser leg up to above knees with socks off. Uncomfortable at times, just like a sharp pin prick when the electrodes are activated (quite a few times), but nothing awful. Took about 20 mins.

I had this done to look for nerve conduction issues in my left arm back in 2005. In my case the doc had me take off my shirt. It was uncomfortable but bearable.

I had needle emg on lower legs. Needles are sharp, it's not painful. Wore gym shorts so no disrobing.

@Mo18

@rapide040

@Russianbare

You that have had it on your feet, do you remember if you had any electrodes placed on your toes or on your soles?

It was so long ago I really don't remember, sorry

It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. My ulnar nerve was compressed which resulted in a C7-T1 fusion. The neurosurgeon referred me to a neurologist for an EMG to determine the extent of the nerve damage and better diagnose the problem and a surgical plan to correct the defect. Upon arrival at the office, I was taken to a room with the equipment in it and told to remove my shirt and lay down on the table. Shortly a student or tech (don’t recall which) arrived to get the equipment set up, calibrated, etc. He commented that I would not hate him as much as the doctor after the procedure. I do recall the student doing some conductivity testing on me which was relatively painless. He left and a short time later, the doctor came in to perform the actual test. He used various electrodes, needles, etc. at different points along my arm from my neck to my finger tips to evaluate the nerve. Every time electricity was applied, I would involuntarily kick and grunt, say ouch, or in some other way express my pain and discomfort. The doctor did state before the procedure that I would not like him when it was done. He did not lie. It was an incredibly painful and uncomfortable test for me. The test procedure seemed to take forever. I don’t recall how long it took. To make matters worse, he stated he would have to analyze the data before he could say anything about the results and that it would take a couple of days before he could get the report to my neurosurgeon.

On the morning of the corrective surgery, a tech visited with me and explained that she would be present in the OR to perform an EMG during the surgery to help the doctor evaluate the nerve and insure the procedure was going as expected. She further indicated that her instruments would be monitored remotely by a neurologist as a second set of eyes to evaluate the nerve and surgical progress. She said I would not feel a thing since I would be anesthetized. I reminded her how painful the previous experience was and that I would likely kick her if I weren’t asleep or otherwise restrained.