Is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Right For You? Talk To Our Minimally Invasive Surgeons Today.

Skip to main content

Will an EMG Show a Pinched Nerve?

Will an EMG Show a Pinched Nerve?

Pinched nerves are common. About 85 out of 100,000 adults in the United States suffer from nerve pain every year.

If you experience any kind of numbness or persistent pain in your body, you need answers as quickly as possible. That’s when it’s time to contact us at University Pain Medicine Center.

As a team of chronic pain specialists, we know how to diagnose the root cause of your issue. We use a diagnostic test called electromyography (EMG) to determine the health of your muscles and the nerve cells that control them, called motor neurons. 

Let’s first look at symptoms that might call for an EMG test.

Symptoms of a nerve or muscular issue

You might need an EMG test if you experience:

An EMG can confirm your condition and rule out others.

EMG explained

The EMG test is the most accurate test used to properly diagnose pinched nerves. 

It measures the:

This test allows us to understand what’s causing your symptoms. For example, we can see if your pain is coming from pressure on your spinal nerve roots or if your nerve damage might be from another condition like diabetes.

How an EMG works

To perform the test, we first place electrodes on various areas of your body that sit on the surface of your skin. The electrodes are connected to a machine that allows us to monitor your muscle movements.

We may recommend a second phase to your testing. To perform this phase, we insert a needle electrode through the surface of your skin and into your targeted muscle area. The needle allows us to go to the deeper areas that surface electrodes can’t read.

The test evaluates the electrical activity in your nerves, showing us when they contract and when they rest. The results let us know if you have damage to your nerves that lead to your muscles.

Once we diagnose the source of your pain, we can provide customized treatment for you, which might include corticosteroids, physical therapy, or other recommended solutions to give you the relief you need. But, targeting the issue with an EMG test is the first step.

Are you suffering from a pinched nerve? Don’t delay making an appointment with our team at one of our six locations in New Jersey. Click here now.

You Might Also Enjoy...

What to Expect After Your Trigger Point Injections

If you’re dealing with pain in specific areas of your body, trigger point injections might be your answer. Here, we’ll look at what conditions can benefit from this treatment and what you can expect after.

How an Epidural Alleviates Back Pain

Do you suffer from chronic low back pain? With so many treatment options available, how do you know which one might be right for you? Read on to learn why an epidural might be your answer.

5 Ways to Manage Your Arthritis Pain

Managing the pain of arthritis can be a challenge. If you’re one of the millions of people worldwide who suffer from this condition, we provide several ways to help reduce its debilitating effects.