EMG, NCS, and EP
The Medical Student's Guide to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
There are only two specialties that include specific
training in electrodiagnostics as a substantial part of their
curriculum-neurology and PM&R. Only PM&R allows enough training
during residency to allow for board certification in the procedure. Electromyography (EMG) consists of
inserting fine needle electrodes in muscles and observing the recorded motor
unit potentials when the muscles are activated. Nerve conduction studies (NCS)
use electrodes to record motor and sensory responses that are propagated by
electrical stimuli. Evoked potentials (EP) are typically used to measure
sensory responses more proximally in the spinal cord, brainstem, and brain.
These serve adjunctive roles in the diagnosis of various neuromuscular
disorders including compression neuropathies, radiculopathies, peripheral
neuropathies, motor neuron diseases, neuromuscular junction pathologies, and
myopathies.
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