Results: All 75 patients in this study showed normal EMG of the affected extremities and normal peripheral nerve conduction study. Finally, I had anterior transposition with a subfascial sling done in August of 2020. Nerve conduction studies measure how well and Now what? If the body doesn't have what it needs to work right, then that extra pain sensation and electrical current causes more disruption than it should. Their EMG may be normal, but yet they actually have pain. When it is stated that you can still have a "normal" emg while having actual disease presence and/or symptoms, that needs to be taken with a certain grain of salt. Objective: Fifty-eight percent of patients who had undergone surgery for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow experienced pain after surgery. You will feel various pains for a while as this heals, and since nerves are all connected there will be referred pain to other parts of your body, like you legs and back. Right after the surgery my pain was great. Uses, Precedure, Side Effects, and More. Two months later, as her symptoms had persisted, an EMG investigation was performed, which was normal (table 1 1),), with no radicular signs. These can be picked up by the EMG and are called positive sharp waves and fibrillation potentials. These findings indicate loss of the nerve contact with the muscle. It takes two to three weeks after the nerve is injured to develop these fibrillations and sharp waves. Your finding … There are other disorders (mononeuritis, Lyme disease, peripheral neuropathy, entrapment neuropathy among others) that can cause the symptoms you describe. That means that you have objective weakness related to nerve damage. Amanda. August 2009 had discectomy on left side at same level...pain continued after surgery, neuro said wait three months. Symptoms never really resolved, and acutely worsened with moderate lifting (biceps curls) in March of 2021 but then improved. If your doctor still thinks you have neuropathic pain despite normal results, trust your doctor and leave it at that. Other parts of your spine include your spinal cord and nerves. Summary. January 24, 2018 at 7:55 am. I have been painfree until February, 2007, when I started to get what felt like muscle aches in my left upper/outer arm. Sciatic neuritis and normal EMG/NCS. 42 Votes) Measured EMG potentials range between less than 50 μV and up to 30 mV, depending on the muscle under observation. I used to do my yard work, but now I pay a person to do it. EMG nerve conduction studies can only assess large fiber polyneuropathy. #27376. Like you said, EMG and NCS rarely pick up damage unless it is major like a severed nerve. A CT angiogram is non-invasive and will show if you have blockages in your … First time in the board...looks like a great site. If you had ALS almost all muscles tested would be abnormal, showing both acute and chronic dennervation. The next treatment was at 6wks, he still could not take the pain from the treatment. may 24th 2016 i had an acdf surgery the treat pain and numbness in my right shoulder arm and hand after the surgery i started feeling the same symptoms in my left shoulder arm and hand i started complaining about it while still in the hospital recovering from the acdf the doctor said it was normal now 1 year later the symptoms … I had an abnormal muscle response on an EMG and an elevated CPK blood marker. After some ALS fears I went and got an EMG yesterday and it came back normal. Objective: To examine the distribution of stress-induced upper-body pain in fibromyalgia patients, and the possible association of pain with electromyographic activity in muscles near the sites of pain development. shoulder pain after surgery. Long story as short as I can make it. An EMG, which studies nerve conductions (by delivering electrical impulses to the nerves) and muscles (by inserting a needle probe into different muscles), is an uncomfortable procedure but a very useful and sensitive test for carpal tunnel syndrome. An electromyogram (EMG) measures the electrical activity of muscles when they're at rest and when they're being used. When I finally got … The incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is steadily increasing worldwide. Hand, foot, leg arm weakness; Muscles feel tired or slow to respond during or after use. My question/story is this- L4-L5 discectomy (right side) in Air Force in 1989. If you have scleroderma, you are more likely to have over auto immune conditions. Pain and inflammation can be widespread with fibromyalgia, but no one would know it from looking at you. Hi. A spinal MRI is more accurate for visualizing … The causes of peripheral neuropathy can be bountiful. My neurologist told me "rest assured, you don't have ALS" after a clean office exam and now a normal, clean EMG. by: DaNielle I had carpal tunnel surgery in both hands 4 years ago. Toonces, my EMG did not cause lasting pain, but sure was awful during the test. Some folks think it's a breeze, I thought it was torture. If they did it at Gitmo, it would be cause international protest I felt like I was put through the wringer for a while, but it was not lasting pain and could have gone back to work. Mine was lumbar and looking for neuropathy in legs, if that makes any ... A normal emg and : Nerve conduction does not mean that there is no nerve irritation but that it is just not severe enough to register on that test at that time. He was knocked out for six hrs and they ran the treatment full speed. These “electrical cables” travel through the spinal canal carrying messages between your brain and muscles. Also, we have a lower threshold for pain. My back especially around mid-back has been very tired, ached, pressured and uncomfortable even sometimes very early in the morning, for about 8 weeks (since around 5 October 2017) even when my usual sitting and standing. Multiple muscles, and, therefore, multiple needle punctures, are frequently sampled in an effort to elicit an abnormality. Emg's are used to pick up damage to nerves and by association muscle groups. Don't forget your neck and shoulder as well , a … Yeah, it seems there's a connection between FM and nerve problems - hence unusual pain with an EMG. Also at times the reflexes can be slower, such as knee reflex. Emg will be abnormal at a certain point after damage has interfered with nerve muscle connections. Sensory responses for the ulnar nerve were moderately reduced in amplitude and median responses were markedly reduced in amplitude. 4.3/5 (1,112 Views . In the lab the tissue is stained and the small fibers are literally counted under a microscope. An EMG/NCS is the equivalent of a test drive: It evaluates how well the nerves from the spine transmit information to and from the arms, legs, and paraspinal muscles (Fig. I would sleep with them, drive with them, type with them. EMG showed slowed ulnar nerve transmission around the elbow, consistent with cubital tunnel syndrome. so for instance, I can stick my hand in boiling water to get an egg out and not feel burnt. After these normal test results, you continue having chest pain, and also other symptoms (e.g., sweating, nausea, jaw pain, back pain, labored breathing) that have been well-documented as being part of many heart attacks or signs of severe coronary blockage. Typical repetition rate of muscle motor unit firing is about 7–20 Hz, depending on the size of the muscle (eye muscles versus seat (gluteal) muscles), previous axonal damage and other factors. EMG tests came back normal. Answer 1. At the time of my diagnosis five years ago, I was pretty upset and discouraged to learn this. I went to a neuro who ran lots of blood tests which were normal, an EMG – normal, brain MRI did show some lesions not consistent with MS. You do not need to fast or eat any particular kinds of food before the test. Post count: 8309. Now essentially your EMG is saying the it looks as if you have spine issue ( slipped disc) in your neck and then again in your lower back. Also, icing my hands for short periods of times helped, and I used to have a wax (paraffin) dipping machine I could put my hands in. In the past I have had a lot of flare ups in my wrists/hands, and the splints helped me a lot. It starts in one part of the body -- a hand, a foot, your mouth or tongue -- and spreads through the body from there. MiMi, yes, my VitD level is just below normal. It took my cousin over a year to get an accurate diagnosis of ALS. Everybody's relationship with pain and stimulus is different, of course, but it is my belief that the post-emg symptoms you experience are ultimately due to a lack of nutrition in the body. These include infection, toxic exposure, systemic illnesses, or hereditary diseases. Not all nerve pain disorders originate from nerve compression. At that time I was not having radiating nerve pain. Normal EMG/NCV but still have cervical, nerve pain. It very well sounds like neuropathy. I understand your fear. Left Ulnar Nerve - Sensory distal latency at 13cmm was 3.1 msec. And it may be because it takes time for the test result to change. Outliers in EMG MUSCLE & NERVE April 1994 393 IOD Biceps brachii 5- Normal : m Normal 5’ m i mi Neuropathic Myopathic m m e m m-• am *W 0 1 0 FIGURE 2. Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic test that measures how well the muscles respond to the electrical signals emitted to specialized nerve cells called motor nerves. Hands feel cold frequently. A nerve conduction study measures how fast and how well the body's electrical signals travel down your nerves. Some purists will go as far as sampling the paraspinal muscles despite the presence of severe back pain and spasm in pursuit of EMG diagnosis. What has your doctor said? These two tests can effectively rule out ALS. Other features. Methods: Fifteen fibromyalgia patients and 15 pain-free subjects were exposed to low-level mental strain over a one-hour period. I am a male in my mid 40’s. Many nerve injuries, irritations, and neuropathy will show up on EMG with PSW. Since your readings are normal, this is good news. just so you know,an emg will only pick up on actual damage or constant compression to any given nerve.it wont show all of what you actually have wrong in your case or any intermittant type of compression unless that particular nerve just happens to be compressed at the time of the test. Those with herniated disc in the cervical or lumbar spine presenting with local pain and tenderness in the neck and lower back but without neurologic deficits or clear radicular symptoms, had normal study also. Neurological examination was normal, and a CT scan of the lumbosacral spine was normal. muscles shows marked bilateral foot drop as well as weakness of plantar flexion, ankle inversion and eversion. His legs still hurt, and he still has bad migranes. I actually don't have much pain now but my main problem is that I have an extremely weak, and numb right leg. My right leg was worse with the numbness. Surprisingly, I was on the bottom of normal about 5 years ago. I have had nerve pain in my cheek and am constantly constipated. Even though I have had two EMG tests that were normal, I have definite neuropathy symptoms. Ask your doctor about a CT angiogram. Sometimes tests can show false negative results. The problems are not all the time, but more than twice a week. EMG tests and nerve conduction studies can both help find out if you have a disorder of your muscles, nerves, or both. You can still have polyneuropathy with a normal EMG nerve conduction study. I have to use a cane now. I went to have an MRI and was told I have bulging disc in c6 and c5 was on way out. If someone has the signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and they get a normal EMG/NCV, there is testing that can be done for small fiber neuropathy. Severe pain, mostly radiating from the elbow into the hand, is the main indication for subsequent surgery. A 68 year old woman presented to a rehabilitation service with low back pain provoked by gardening. Your EMG is not showing anything like an ALS pattern. Dr. Corenman. We have no, for lack of a better word, pain-o-meter. Emg's done too early (usually before 7-10 days of weakness) can be falsely normal. Just a guess though. EMG, in general, can be a painful and uncomfortable procedure. WHY A PATIENT COULD HAVE A RADICULOPATHY AND STILL HAVE A NORMAL ELECTRODIAGNOSTIC STUDY 1. This test does not measure pain. Inability to detect pure sensory radiculopathies: Clinically, most patients present with either purely sensory complaints (such as pain, parasthesias, or numbness) or primarily sensory complaints with some minimal complaints of weakness. Answer (1 of 10): Could it still be neuropathy? They should be used to sort out if there are other reasons for pain but won't help not weak. I would take them off for breaks during the day. I feel like I am walking on pepples, my legs tingle constantly. My problem is that I had severe nerve damage in my legs, but he didn't even check my reflexes or do an EMG. Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them (motor neurons). Tendinitis is a source of discomfort but does not usually cause numbness think of other sites of compression, metabolic endocrine and circulation as well. Or two, we … I've started taking 2000iu D3 and 1 - 2 citrical, per my rheumatologist. I had an anterior cervical fusion, C5-7, in April, 2006. Therefore, it is crucial to develop efficient rehabilitation protocols and investigate the innovations in medical technology, which could improve rehabilitation outcomes. In a small number of cases, nerve disease may still exist despite normal results. An EMG test looks at the electrical signals your muscles make when they are at rest and when they are being used. Hi, my symptoms started a year ago with strange weakness and pain my legs along with some upper body shaking. My problem is that I had severe nerve damage in my legs, but he didn't even check my reflexes or do an EMG. Hi! Tagged: ALS, diagnosis, Testing. Answer: According to my first neurologist (who was a horrible doctor), you can have very, very, very mild nerve damage and it not show up. EMG results can reveal nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction or problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission. It’s a tissue biopsy where a small plug of tissue is taken and sent off to a lab. I was told the stuff inside disc had leaked out on both sides. Donald Corenman, MD, DC. Apart from EMG, we also rely on Nerve Conduction Study ( NCV ). Shooting pain down into the extremities. The test can confirm normal function or estimate the . I have limited my normal activities which includes every normal kind of life things. I just had a full upper/lower EMG/NCV and it came back normal. A muscle biopsy confirmed that I had/have Polymyositis as well as diffuse scleroderma. Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain. Keymaster. To my knowledge nerve pain and neuropathy are not the same. April 10, 2019 at 2:16 pm #11394. Shutterstock/joshya. 1). I do have shooting pain in large nerves and twitching in small nerves. “Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of studies have documented the utility of EMG in diagnosing ALS. He still has the weakness, and pains. Motor unit potential amplitudes from first dorsal interosseus and brachial biceps muscles in a healthy subject and in one patient with a neuropathic and in one with a myopathic disorder. Test Overview. Had CTS surgery 4 years ago still have pain. Neuropathic pain can be caused by injury, medication, diabetes and shingles. The most common treatable causes of neuropathy include hypothyroidism, nutritional deficiency, and diabetes.1. Hand activity increases pain in the hand/wrist. ... Few preparations are needed on the day you have an EMG. My balance is totally off some days and other days it is pretty good. Diagnosis and ALS - ALS News Today Forums. Normal emg/ncv normal CPK normal lactic acid but I have intense burning pain in my arms and legs.With no weakness.Just very bad burning muscle pain? Swelling of the hand, fingers, foot or toes. Answer: There are no absolute tests to show that you have pain. melman2. I cannot work either. Motor neurons transmit electrical signals that cause muscles to contract. I have neuropathy and that means that I have less feeling in my small nerve fibers because they do not work well. It is coincidence with EMG testing (a needle was inserted on 3 different area on my back) that was done on 3 October 2017.