A nerve conduction velocity or NCV test checks whether your peripheral nerves are performing properly. An electromyography procedure or EMG testing measures if your muscles are receiving nerve signals. The appropriate test helps your doctor make a diagnosis or rule out other conditions. A nerve conduction test is non-invasive, while an EMG test is minimally invasive. Find out the cause of your nerve pain at Pain Management NYC, a leading pain management clinic serving NY and NJ. Call today to schedule an appointment.
What Are NCV and EMG Nerve Tests?
Nerve conduction testing (NCV) and electromyography (EMG) tests are diagnostic tests that measure the electrical activity of your muscles and nerves. They help diagnose or rule out various conditions that are causing you pain, such as peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy and diabetic neuropathy. NCV and EMG tests also guide your doctor’s treatment plan, as well as monitor your healing progress.
At Pain Management NYC in New York and New Jersey, NCV and EMG tests are performed by Dr. Dmitriy Dvoskin and Dr. Mark Cohen, board-certified PM&R and Neuroloigy specialists. They have extensive clinical experience and training in painful nerve disorders. This medical practice uses the state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to ensure accurate and comfortable testing. Given your test results, they provide personalized, comprehensive care for your pain or nerve disorder.
How Does an NCV Test Work?
A nerve conduction velocity test works by stimulating a nerve with a mild electrical impulse delivered by electrodes attached to your skin. One electrode sends the impulse, and another one records it. The test measures the speed and amplitude of the nerve signal as it travels from one electrode to the other. The distance between the electrodes and the time it takes for the signal to travel are used to calculate the nerve conduction velocity.
This non-invasive test measures the functionality of your peripheral nerves. Your peripheral nerves are the ones that run outside your brain and spinal cord to your muscles and sensory organs. Nerve conduction testing helps diagnose or rule out various conditions that affect your nerves, such as:
What Else Can NCV and EMG Tests Help Diagnose or Rule Out?
Your doctor may recommend NCV testing and EMG testing when you have symptoms of a muscle or nerve disorder. These tests may reveal the cause and extent of your condition. The doctors and staff at Pain Management NYC run the tests to learn the nature of your painful symptoms before prescribing treatment.
NCV and EMG tests detect common muscle and nerve disorders — even between those that present similar symptoms. Some of the disorders an electromyography procedure or nerve conduction testing can help identify include:
- Guillain-Barré syndrome. This rare condition causes your immune system to attack your nerves, leading to weakness, numbness and paralysis.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome. When a nerve in your wrist is compressed by swollen tendons or ligaments, it causes pain, tingling and numbness in your hand and fingers.
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This inherited condition affects the nerves in your arms and legs, causing muscle weakness, foot deformities and loss of sensation.
- Herniated disc disease. When a spinal disc bulges or ruptures, it often presses on a nerve, causing pain, numbness and weakness in your back, neck or limbs.
- Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy and neuropathy. These conditions can result from diabetes, alcoholism or infections, damaging your nerves and causing numbness, tingling, pain and weakness.
- Sciatic nerve problems. Problems with the nerve that runs from your lower back to your foot causes pain, numbness anywhere along the nerve path.
- Guiding your treatment plan. An EMG nerve test and a NCV test near me help your doctor determine the best course of action to resolve your pain, such as neurostimulation techniques, peripheral nerve stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, medication, physical therapy or surgery.
- Monitoring your progress. These same tests also help evaluate the effectiveness of your treatment and track any changes in your muscle or nerve function over time.
- Improving your quality of life. An NCV test or an EMG test provides reassurance that your doctor has found the cause of your pain. These tests help your doctor manage your symptoms for pain-free activities and mobility in your daily life.
- Muscle disorders, called myopathies
- Nerve disorders, called neuropathies
- Nerve-muscle junction disorders, such as myasthenia gravis
What Are the Benefits of NCV/EMG Testing?
NCV and EMG tests provide valuable information about the function and health of your muscles and nerves. These tests help you and your doctor by pointing your pain management physician to a diagnosis of the cause and by revealing the extent of your muscle or nerve disorder.
NCV and EMG tests can detect various conditions that affect your muscles and nerves in a non-invasive or minimally invasive way. You don’t require a lot of time for the tests, either. Other advantages of taking these tests include:
How Does EMG Testing Near Me Work?
An electromyography procedure works by inserting a thin, needle-shaped electrode into a muscle. The electrode records the electrical signals that your muscle produces when it contracts and when it rests. An EMG nerve test may involve testing several muscles that are supplied by the same nerve or nerve root.
During the test, the electrical signals are displayed on a screen and heard through a speaker as waves and sounds. The EMG test measures the size, shape and pattern of the waves and sounds, which reflect the muscle’s ability to respond to nerve stimulation.
Electromyography evaluates the function and health of your muscles and motor neurons. Your electromyography test results help your doctor determine the cause and severity of your symptoms, such as muscle weakness, pain or spasms. EMG testing allows your pain management physician to diagnose or rule out a number of conditions that affect your muscles, such as:
Where Can I Get an NCV Test Near Me?
To find a NCV testing facility or an EMG test near me, look to Pain Management NYC. They’re a leading pain management clinic serving New York and New Jersey. They offer the most advanced electrodiagnostic tests for muscle and nerve disorders. They perform the tests with care and accuracy, and they provide you with comprehensive treatment options.
Whether you have pain, numbness, weakness or spasms, NCV/EMG diagnostic testing provides you with accurate and reliable information that guide your treatment plan. You don’t have to suffer or settle for less than optimal care. Visit this pain management clinic to resolve your muscle and nerve problems. Live your life to the fullest. Contact Pain Management NYC today to schedule your appointment and get the best care possible.
Leon Reyfman, MD, is a top-rated, best-in-class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award-winning expert and contributor to prominent media outlets.
Dr. Leon Reyfman has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain. He has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York” and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for advanced sports injury treatments. Among other accolades, he was voted by peers as a “Castle Connolly Top Doctors™” and “New York Super Doctors™”. Dr. Leon Reyfman was a part of the medical team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.