i would have to agree with the other replies regarding the discomfort of emgs, i have had a lot of procedures care of my crps and the emg ranks right up there with the most uncomfortable. i think the most significant factor in deciding whether the pain will equate to gain (in other words if anything will be determined as a result) is if your doctor is trying to establish if nerve damage is involved or not. if you are diagnosed with type I and your doctor doesnt believe nerve damage is involved i would ask your doctor if he really thinks its necessary. if nerve damage is a possibility i would probably ask if a catscan could be done first. the catscan results will at least give the doctor a better idea of the nerves that might be involved and then the emg isnt done for provitive value but for verfication, limiting the number of needle inserts, which i think is a good thing on two levels. one it reduces the number of punctures, which depending on the area are extremely uncomfortable. second if there is a concern that the emg will result in flare, the opportunity is limited. i also agree that if you are touch sensitive it is probably a very bad idea.
however, if you have type II an emg can be effective in determining the damage it has caused to different areas of the body. i have type II and there was some correlation to the fluxuation of nerve activity to the areas of concern. i have emgs every 6 months, on all 4 extremities to try to map the disease.
i would probably talk to my doctor about my concerns and what information is he/she trying to gather, and ask if they think this is the only way they can get the data they need.
good luck
if you do have to have on i have learned a little trick, ask your doctor for lidocain gel and rub it on before the emg. it is cool temp (feels pretty much like cool air or water) if you can tolerate it i would recommend it.