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Dialing up the intensity is part of the test and it's normal. As far as going back to the right arm if he had completed the test, I'm not sure why he went back unless if something happened with the results or something went wrong with saving the test results. Other reason maybe he wanted to double check in that case it's normal to do so. Thank you. Dr. Ankamah, MD

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with the test. It is not acceptable to be lied to as a patient. It's important to ask who is performing the test prior to going in. A tech or a Dr.? Whoever does it better know the anatomy of the human body. I have been performing this test for close to 20 years and I have ZERO after effect. As far as pain is concerned, it depends on the person performing the test. It is NOT pain free like blood draw, but it's tolerable!!! For almost 20 year performing this test I have 99.99 % completion rate! That's pretty damn good in the right hands.

Thank you for watching Lola and your comment.

I am sorry to hear that you did not tolerate the test. In almost twenty years, I have 99.99% of ,y patients successfully completing the test. Less than 1% could not finish, that's pretty damn good :). Dr. has to be gentle, calm the patient down and always if the needle gets to sensitive spots the Dr. should know to spray with numbing medication (ethyl chloride). I offer to all my patients especially in some areas, we're trained to know certain areas are sensitive. If your Dr. doesn't offer to spray to numb it little bit for you you can always ask for it and hopefully they have it in the office. FYI: MRI RARELY can tell if there is a pinch nerve or sciatica. The gold standard text worldwide is this test. In gentle hands and with great bedside manners, you will complete the test!

Was this done to detect nerve damage?

@@gustavochaves1490 Yes. I have pinched nerves in the lumbar and cervical spine. I am in physical therapy.

@@jeanwilliams492 Was the EMG able to detect it? Thanks for sharing.

The EMG was able to detect the pinch nerves. Once the needle is inserted, the technician moves the needle around to pick up waves and sounds. If you have pinched nerves, you will hear a sound like popping popcorn. 😅

If you don't mind my asking, did anyone's treatment plan change after finding out results to this test? I've heard some say the treatment plan/PT stays the same....so my question is then why put yourself through this?? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Aaileyah, I am sorry to hear that you had side effect to the covid vaccination. Yes the test can be used if you have numbness, tingling sensation or paresthesias electric shock type of feeling down your arms or legs. The test can be done to diagnose most commonly pinch nerves, neuropathy, or carpal tunnel syndrome. The test can also be used especially the needle portion to diagnose muscle disease myopathy). Even though the test is not for muscle spasms per se in general, I hope and pray your doctors can figure out what's going on. Feel better soon.

@@newjerseysportsspinemedici5638 thankyou , I hope so too because here not finding anything in my blood work and this is my only option .

Mark, the needle (muscle) portion can be uncomfortable. In great hands it is tolerable. The Dr. must know which muscles hurt more and offer to spray the numbing spray local anesthetic). No need to spray the whole body, only certain muscles hurt more. Where the muscle hurts the most is the thumb and ankle or shin area. You must ask for ethyl chloride spray. I ask the patients and if they want the spray I proceed. It makes some difference and decrease the pain as the needle goes through the skin to the muscles.

Thank you Chekah for your comment. That's what I teach my patients. If the patient calms down both the NCS/NCV where the doctor gives you some shocks zap you and the EMG the needle portion is not that bad. If the patient is too anxious then the pain level goes high because their muscles are tense up. Calm down, relax and the test should be over in about 30 mins or 45 minutes to 1 hour time on average.

Great question. The test is divided into 2 parts. The first part is called Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS or some call it NCV{nerve conduction velocity). This is where the doctor or the tech will zap you I describe it as stimulation or little shocks :), to calm my patients down, it feels like electric static shocks). If you only complete this, the diagnosis such as pinch nerve in your neck or low back will be missed. The NCS can diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuropathy but NOT pinch nerve. The second part of the test is called EMG (needle portion). It's a little long but very small needle. Don't be afraid of the length. Only a medical Dr., who knows the anatomy and knows what they are doing should do the EMG portion. Make sure the the person sticking needle in your body is a trained MD (medical Dr.) or DO ( Dr. of Osteopathy) I tell my patients if they calm down and relax the needle is not that bad . I tell them it's not pain free but it's tolerable. The key is having a doctor who is compassionate and also the patient calming down. If you tense up the muscles go into spasms before the Dr. even put the needle into your muscle. Again, the EMG or the needle portion can help diagnose pinch nerves, if its in the low back some call it sciatica. I hope this helps.

@@newjerseysportsspinemedici5638 thank you soo much sir

treatments vary per each DR. But overall treatment includes physical therapy low back and legs or occupational therapy for neck and hands or upper extremities. Special nerve medications can be prescribed by your Dr. I provide special vitamins for carpal tunnel syndrome and pinch nerves which works well if the patient does not want stronger nerve medication. Lastly, spine injections called facet blocks or epidural steroid injection. I hope this helps answer your question.

You don't have to cancel. You can get through the test. Without the test, your diagnosis may not be confirmed and may take longer for you to get relief.

@@newjerseysportsspinemedici5638 i can tolerate shocks very well i'm only scared of needles

I hope didnt cancel. Most of the comments say its not bad.

the pain is only when they tell you to move the muscle while the needle is in .it's been two weeks and the spot of one needle still sore and little painful in the muscle.

​@@beardy7124 the word is its not good, for me was just 10 minutes test and it's painful only when you need to move muscle while needles are in. if it was 30 minutes i would say it is really bad .i asked the doctor to do Emg only in my legs not my hands. the electric shocks are just not comfortable . the doctor understood that i was little scared and he asked me to take deep breaths when he inserts needles.10 minutes or 15 minutes is ok but 30 minutes or more that would be too much.

What do they do with the results ? My doctor didn’t explain what they’re going to do with the results. Reading some of the comments I’m scared. I already take medication for nerve pain and I already know there’s a disc in my spine that comes in contact with the nerve root so I don’t feel like I need a confirmation if they’re not going to anything more about it.

Could you have Ehlers-Danlos?

I am sorry you had an uncomfortable test. In my experience 99.99% tolerate the test with me. It's important to put the patient at ease. I have conversation with my patients. I take my time and don't rush it. Some muscles based on anatomy are more sensitive. Those areas with the needles, I spray with local anesthetics and helps my patients in those uncomfortable areas.

The test confirms the location and the number of nerves pinched, so if the nerve medication fail to provide you with adequate relief, then the doctors may consider epidural steroid injection. That's where the EMG/NCS results come in handy to guide the Dr. so that accurate injection can be done for you to get quality relief.

Sorry to hear. Again, next time ask who is doing the test? Tech or the Dr., Second ask for the Dr. to spray the location of where the needles will go to numb the area for you. Note that it is not necessary to spray the whole body with ethyl chloride, just the areas that hurts most. Anatomy comes into play. Dr. should know the areas that are super sensitive. I tell my patients what to expect and go along with them. I have never had any of my patients cry. They thank me with a smile after the test. Compassion at the bedside is key.

I am sorry for the inconvenience and discomfort. I am not sure if it was done by a Tech or a doctor. The power can be controlled and not go to maximum for patient comfort. I wish I could have done for you. Stay well and thank you for the comment. Dr. Ankamah

Everything went well. My dr was very patient and allayed my fear and anxiety. The entire experience was not as painful as I expected. I don’t have the results but I’m thinking that no news is good news.

@@sharonjones8323 do they use the results only to confirm that you have nerve damage ? I’m getting this done in 3 days , i already know there’s a disc coming in contact with a nerve and I already take medication for nerve damage.

@@user-zs2dw1cg7y the test is more precise. they will see your current conditions but the test will determine if the meds are accurate enough and or if you need to change As far as the pain. It was slightly uncomfortable in some places but it was bearable. I pray that all goes well for you. I hope my input is helpful

Perfect 👍. Your experience is accurate. I am glad it went well. Your experience conforms to what I reported before. If the Dr. doing the needle is very compassionate and gentle the needle portion is tolerable. Wish you the best of health. Dr. Ankamah.

Wish you safe testing. The number of shocks depends on how accessible your nerves are. I tell my patients sometimes the nerve travels within the body "like a snake". winding and zig-zagging. In some cases the anatomical location is way out of it's location from what we learned from the text book. Some States allow technicians to do the test especially the nerve conduction (shock portion). Your neurologist being an MD or DO is well trained to know where to stimulate. The number of times to shock depends again on the easy accessibility of your nerves. Most EMG (the needle portion of the test) uses fine needles. It is "long but thin. I describe to my patients' it's like acupuncture needle. Don't be scared of the length of the needle because only small part goes in the muscle. The number of muscles to test depends on what the Dr. is trying to diagnose and what nerves he/she feels needs to be tested. You are right. the smaller the muscle, the less fat content, therefore the more discomfort example the palm of the hands or the ankles. Ask for ETHYL CHLORIDE SPRAY to numb it little bit for you. But beware, it's freezing cold spray but I think it's worth it. Lastly, as I have mentioned before in prior comments or in the video, COMPASSION, BEDSIDE MANNERS ARE KEY to relax the patients. The patient has a role to play especially for the needle EMG portion, I advise my patients to relax. I have experienced that if the patient tenses up, the muscles go into automatic spasms before I even put the needle in the muscle. If you relax in general, the muscles also relax and it's not that bad especially in the hands of a caring and compassionate doctor.

@@andrewankamah8172 Thanks the emg/ncv showed normal. so she(neuro.) sent me for a mri. which was tonight. (1/27) .

We can Thank God that the test came back normal. Mri is the next and hopefully the final test you will need. Thank you for the update. Dr. Ankamah

I am sorry to hear that the shock was uncomfortable for you. Our bodies are somewhat different and sometimes the nerves are berried deep or located in an unusual location. If the Dr. or the Tech is not well experienced, they may give up and say the nerves are absent (flat lines) which can lead to misdiagnosis, God forbid. I am naturally gifted with great hands, thanks be to God. Second, I don't rush, so that the patient is calm. I talk through the test with the patients as I do the test. The spray may be necessary at the fingers, ankle area. Other larger muscle area such as the thigh, shoulder etc. the spray may not make a big differences because of the bulkiness of the muscles and those bulky muscle areas have little bit of fat compared to the very lean muscles. which tend to be the most uncomfortable, Thank you Freeman for the kind words. Anyone in New Jersey, PA, NY or anywhere in the United States, you need my tender loving care hands, give my office a call at 732-249-9400 and we will schedule you for evaluation and the test.

Possible to puncture arteries or veins (especially the very smaller ones) but very unlikely to stick the needle in the nerves. That's why I recommend a well trained medical doctor such as Physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) specialist like Dr. Ankamah or a Neurologist does the test for you who know the anatomy of the human body very well and are experienced in the location of all the nerves veins and arteries to avoid accidental puncturing. Sometime if the patient has varicose veins, or on blood thinners, they tend to bleed little. I call it oozing. I have not personally had any cases where the patient bled that I couldn't stop it. Any one doing the test with experience can avoid the big veins and arteries. Never ever happened. Thank God!

Howd it go

You didn't update Riley??.

about an hour. Provided not doing both arms and legs on the same day.

how did it go ? mines in a few days 😳

@@monaproof The electric shocking was manageable, it wasn't too bad. If there is pain, it goes away in a split second. THEN comes the needles, that was painful for me, especially when they stick the needles in your veins to monitor the movements. They leave the needles in for at least a minute. You will be okay though, there's no bleeding, and after the process is finish, you'll feel almost no pain

Anastasia can i ask where u had it done ? mines gonna be all over my legs

Anastasia also thanks for the feedback on it !

@@monaproof i had it done on my left arm, fingers, and left leg, sorry took ao long to reply, was busy working, how did it go?!