Leg EMG nerve test ยท St. Louis
An EMG nerve test of the leg sorts out whether leg pain starts in the back or in the leg itself.
A leg EMG, done alongside a nerve conduction study (NCS), shows whether a nerve is being pinched or has been hurt in the low back or the leg, and grades the damage. The physician who performs it also interprets it, so treatment for sciatica-type pain goes where the problem actually is.
This test happens only on a physician’s order. It runs only while a physician is on site and immediately available.
How does the test work?
Two tests done together. The nerve conduction study measures how fast and how strongly signals travel along the leg nerves. The EMG uses a fine needle to listen to a few muscles. A physician performs both and writes the report.
Why would your physician order it?
Leg pain, numbness or weakness has more than one possible source: a nerve root in the low back, a nerve squeezed lower in the leg, or nerve damage from metabolic disease such as diabetes. The test separates them, which shapes whether an epidural, a different procedure or a metabolic plan comes first. See sciatica and peripheral neuropathy.
What will you feel?
The first part sends brief electrical pulses through pads on the skin; each one feels like a quick snap. The second part places a very fine needle in a handful of muscles, which pinches for a moment. Normal activity resumes right afterward for most people.
Getting ready for test day
Wear shorts or roomy pants, and leave your legs free of lotion.
Tell us before the test about
- Any blood thinner you take
- A pacemaker or other implant
- Skin trouble or swelling in that leg
How much time to plan for
Plan on about 30 to 60 minutes each time.
What to remember
- Result: which nerve, and how hurt.
- No lotion on your legs on test day.
- Mention any blood thinner or pacemaker beforehand.
Last step. Show us you have it: Explain to your technician your routine for the morning of the test. Unsure about any step? We run through it with you again next time.
Related reading
- The painstl.com physiotherapy program, every station and test
- Sciatica
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Nerve test of the arm (EMG/NCS), another test
- CMAT (CardioMetabolic Assessment Test), another test
- Cognivue, another test
- Kinetisense, another test
- RQ (resting metabolic rate), another test
- VNG (balance and dizziness test), another test
Ask whether this belongs in your plan
A physician reviews your history and your procedures first, then writes the orders. Nothing is added without a reason in your chart.
4479 Woodson Rd, Suite 401
St. Louis, MO 63134
Next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport, off I-70 at Woodson Road.