Electromyography (EMG)

Electromyography (EMG)

If you have unexplained muscle weakness or feel like your brain is sending the command, but your muscles aren’t responding, you may need electromyography (EMG). Electromyography measures the electrical connection between your nerves and muscles. The test is one way to reveal nerve and muscle dysfunction and assess the health of the muscles and the nerve cells that control them. The nerve cells that control muscles are called motor neurons. Motor neurons send electrical signals that cause a muscle to contract. An EMG makes these signals visible either in graphs or numerical format that can be interpreted by one of our providers. The EMG uses non-painful electrodes inserted directly into the muscle to transmit or detect signals and record them. Your healthcare provider may also order a nerve conduction study that uses electrodes taped to the skin to measure the speed and strength of electrical signals between two places on the body.