• Find out exactly which extremities you want EMG/NCS of. They will never do all 4 extremities both because its impractical and unnecessarily painful. Generally they will do one upper and one lower, and you need to specify side if unilateral symptoms.  
• Generally, there will be resistance to doing these inpatient. You will need to copy the neurosurgery attending in question to advocate for it. 
• Email the EMG manager (pschirerjm@upmc.edu) and lead tech (meyerg@upmc.edu) to request 
  • while Dr David Lacomis (lacomisd@upmc.edu) is generally the guy who will do these, he does NOT appreciate an email unless we specifically want him to do an outpatient one with advanced notice

Information for Patients 

What does an EMG and Nerve Conduction study evaluate?

An electromyogram (EMG) measures the electrical activity of muscles when they're at rest and when they're being used. Nerve conduction studies measure how well and how fast the nerves can send electrical signals.

Nerves control the muscles in the body with electrical signals called impulses. These impulses make the muscles react in certain ways. Nerve and muscle problems cause the muscles to react in ways that aren't normal.

If you have leg pain or numbness, you may have these tests to find out which nerves are being affected and how much they are affected. These tests check how well your spinal nerves are working. They also check the nerves in your arms and legs.

What is involved in the testing?

EMG

The skin over the areas being tested is cleaned. A needle electrode is put into a muscle. The electrode is attached by wires to a recording machine.

When the electrodes are in place, the electrical activity in that muscle is recorded while the muscle is at rest. Then the technologist or doctor asks you to tighten (contract) the muscle slowly and steadily. This electrical activity is recorded.

The electrode may be moved a number of times. This is done to record the activity in different parts of the muscle or in different muscles.

The electrical activity in the muscle is shown as wavy and spiky lines on a video screen. It may also be heard on a speaker. You may hear popping sounds when you contract the muscle. The activity may also be recorded on video.

An EMG may take 30 to 60 minutes. When the test is done, the electrodes are removed. The places where a needle was put in the skin are cleaned.

Nerve conduction studies

In this test, several electrodes are attached to your skin with tape or a paste. An electrode that puts out electric pulses is placed right over the nerve. Then a recording electrode is placed over the muscles controlled by that nerve. Several quick electrical pulses are given to the nerve. The time it takes for the muscle to contract in response to the electrical pulse is recorded. The speed of the response is called the conduction velocity.

The same nerves on the other side of the body may be studied. The results from both sides of the body can be compared. When the test is done, the electrodes are removed.

Nerve conduction studies are done before an EMG if both tests are being done. Nerve conduction tests may take from 15 minutes to 1 hour or more. How long the tests take depends on how many nerves and muscles are studied.

With nerve conduction studies, you will be able to feel the electrical pulses.  They are brief and may feel like a rubber band snap.

Is there any prep for the test?

The electrodes are attached to your skin. So make sure your skin is clean. Don't use any sprays, oils, creams, or lotions.

Is this test safe?

An EMG is very safe. You may get some small bruises or swelling at some of the needle sites. The needles are sterile, though. There is very little chance of getting an infection.  The lab follows national safety standards and the majority of patients have no problems after the test.

There is no chance of problems with nerve conduction studies. The voltage of electrical pulses is too low to cause an injury.

Where do I report for testing?

You will report to Room F843, on the 8^th floor of UPMC Presbyterian Hospital (just down the hall from the Main Elevators). If you are unsure of how to get to the hospital, please find the “Directions to UPMC Presbyterian/UPMC Montefiore” page included in this packet. 

 We will validate parking down to $5 for self-parking and $8 for valet parking. 

What happens after the test?

Your test results will be sent to your referring physician.  This usually takes 2-5 days.  If you would like to have a copy of the report mailed to you, you can fill out a release form when you check in on the 8^th floor. 

How can I contact the office?

Our office is open from 7:30am until 4:00pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). If you need to cancel, or you have a question about your upcoming EMG appointment, you can contact us at (412) 647-5424. We are happy to help and ask only that you let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel. 

Again, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions/concerns. We are here to help and look forward to seeing you in our office.