The Drawbacks of EMG/NCV Testing
Posted by admin | Filed under Austin Pain Managmenet Help
There are thousands upon thousands, if not millions of Americans who report to doctors’ offices each year reporting pain. When that pain is accompanied by muscle weakness, doctors will often call for an EMG/NCV test to be preformed. This is an Electromyography and nerve conduction velocity test. They are actually two tests performed simultaneously. The first tests for proper muscle response to a signal sent in its direction, while the second determines if any abnormal responses are due to nerve damage. These tests, which were brought about by the injuries suffered by soldiers in the Second World War, have been proven to be fairly successful in determining if there is nerve damage. However, it has been years since then and there are two definite drawbacks to this technology that have not been resolved and which should be noted. You may want to contact a pain management austin center to discuss this type of testing. They can help you in making a decision in choosing a austin texas back pain doctor. Ask them about whiplash treatment austin,tx and sciatica pain. They are some of the best back pain doctors austin tx.
The first is that the test is not always as conclusive as some medical professionals would like us to believe. Ten to fifteen percent of the NCV tests performed come back with a false positive result, and for some of the diseases which are tested for with EMG, it has been reported that 30-40% of the negative results were false negatives. Furthermore, these tests are not highly effective on small nerve fibers, such as some of those located in the neck, and only five percent of patients reporting pain are considered for these tests anyway. You may need a caudal epidural steroid injection with ganglion impar block. The reason for this is because they must also have accompanying muscle weakness for the EMG test to be effective. So, even if there is actual nerve damage, without muscle weakness, it cannot be determined.
The second shortcoming of this exam is the anxiety that it induces in patients. Typically, there are two portions of this exam- the first is done with electrical shock sensations sent to the muscles being tested and the second is done with needles, which actually pierce the skin and act as electrodes to stimulate muscle reactions. The thirty to ninety minute exam is uncomfortable, to say the least, and for people who suffer from blenophobia (fear of needles), this can be a very traumatic event.
None of this is to say that EMG/NCV tests do not have a place in the medical world, but there are shortcomings that should be brought to the attention of pain sufferers. It should also be noted that these tests are no longer the only way to test for nerve damage. The specialists at Interventional Pain Associates have opted for a less invasive, less painful way of determining what damage, if any, a patient has suffered. They may recommend botox for pelvic pain Austin TX. The neural scan Austin employed by these professionals is ninety-five percent sensitive in detecting the cause of pain, yet it requires no needles. Interventional Pain Associates understand that you have suffered enough pain already without having to bear another thirty to ninety minutes of pin-pricking torture. This device will allow them to diagnose with accuracy and without such drastic measures, so they can help you create the plan for treatment or cure that best suits your needs. They have a migraine doctor austin that can recommend alternative therapies. They can also help you with fibromyalgia treatment in Austin and failed back surgery syndrome Austin. IPA are the doctors in austin tx that treat sciatic nerve pain.
About the Author: Karen Prior has written extensively about the pain management industry and works hard to keep patients informed about the newest developments in pain management
