An EMG and nerve conduction study (NCS) of the leg checks whether a nerve in your lower back or leg is pinched or injured. It helps your physician tell nerve pain apart from hip, knee or tendon pain before planning orthobiologic care. The test is done and reported by a physician.
Your physician orders this test when the result will change your plan. You have it only if it is ordered for you.
What is EMG/NCS nerve test of the leg?
Two parts: a nerve conduction study that times signals along the nerve, and an EMG that listens to a few muscles with a thin needle.
What does it tell your physician?
Leg pain, numbness or weakness may start with a pinched nerve root in the spine or with a nerve lower down in the leg. Buttock and groin pain can be the back or the hip. The test points to the source, so the treatment is aimed correctly.
What does it feel like?
First, quick pulses travel along the nerve from pads on the skin; each feels like a brief snap. After that, a fine needle tests a few muscles, and each one feels like a quick pinch. Most people go straight back to their day.
How do you get ready?
Wear loose pants or shorts. Skip lotion on your legs that day.
What should you tell us first?
- Let us know ahead of time about blood thinners, a pacemaker, or swelling or skin trouble in the leg
How long does it take?
About 30 to 60 minutes.
What to remember
- It pinpoints the injured nerve and the degree of injury.
- No lotion on your legs that day.
- Mention blood thinners or a pacemaker.
Show us you have it: Describe what you will wear on test day and how you will get ready. Anything still unclear? Ask, and we will go over it with you again.
Keep reading: whether the pain is the hip or the back, herniated discs.
Other tests in the program
- Kinetisense
- CMAT (CardioMetabolic Assessment Test)
- RQ (resting metabolic rate)
- EMG/NCS nerve test of the arm
It belongs to the physiotherapy program for PRP and joint care at PRP STL. A physician orders and watches over every treatment, and nothing starts unless one can step in right away.
Find out whether you need this test
Your physician looks at the joint or tendon, your metabolic health and what you have already tried, then builds the plan around you. Book an evaluation or get the free guide.
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