PATIENT INFORMATION
Nerve conduction studies and EMG
Diagnostic tests that assess the health and function of your nerves and muscles.
What are NCS and EMG?
Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) are diagnostic tests used to assess the health and function of your nerves and muscles, helping to identify conditions affecting the peripheral nervous system, the muscles, and the neuromuscular junction.
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Nerve conduction studies measure how well electrical signals travel along your nerves, detecting nerve damage, compression, or dysfunction.
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Electromyography records the electrical activity of muscles, showing whether muscle weakness is due to a nerve problem or a primary muscle disorder.
The tests are often performed together as part of a comprehensive neurological evaluation.
Why might you be referred?
These tests may be recommended for numbness or tingling in the hands, feet or limbs; weakness in the arms or legs; muscle cramps, twitching or spasms; unexplained pain, burning or electric shock sensations; or difficulty gripping objects or walking.
They are used in the diagnosis of conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy, radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy, motor neurone disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, and muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy or myositis.
Who Refers Patients for These Tests?
Referrals come from a wide variety of specialists including neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, spinal surgeons, neurosurgeons, rheumatologists, and general practitioners. Patients are also referred by allied healthcare professionals who work with musculoskeletal conditions such as physiotherapists.