EMG test is a test used in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Although it is mostly used in diseases of the muscles and limb nerves, it also includes some special tests for the brain and spinal cord.
One of the situations where EMG is frequently used is in cases where complaints such as pain spreading to the arms and legs, numbness and weakness occur due to lumbar and neck herniations. Lumbar and cervical disc herniations can sometimes put pressure on the spinal cord and sometimes on the nerves going to the arms and legs. In such a case, the patient may experience complaints such as severe pain, burning, numbness and loss of muscle strength in the shoulder and arm if there is a cervical disc herniation, or in the hip and leg if there is a lumbar herniation. In such a case, the EMG test can be useful in understanding the source of the pain and also gives an idea about the degree of damage to the nerve under pressure. In the first part of the test, called nerve conduction studies, conditions that may arise from peripheral nerves and cause similar complaints are excluded. In the second part of the test, which is performed with tiny needle electrodes, the electrical activity of the muscles is measured by inserting a needle into some of the arm and leg muscles. If there is pressure on the nerve of that muscle due to a lumbar or cervical disc herniation, this can be detected in EMG. If there is muscle weakness, the degree of nerve damage causing it can be measured. Although neurosurgeons generally recommend surgery when there is weakness due to lumbar and cervical disc herniation, the correct EMG is taken and the degree of nerve pressure is measured. In such cases, EMG is used effectively to decide whether surgery is required. In addition, when there is pressure on the spinal cord itself in cases of cervical disc herniation, a special EMG test called SEP can be used to get an idea about whether surgery is needed.
Contrary to popular belief, the needle EMG test used in patients with lumbar and cervical disc herniation is a very disturbing test for the patient. It is not.
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