I know what you went through! I remember my EMGs, the both of them. The needles were hell!

When I had the first EMG done, the doctor didn't get a normal response from my legs, so what did he do? He upped the current to a painful level (and boy did that HURT) to get a normal response. He acted as if the machine was faulty. Can you imagine?

The second one was done normally and showed abnormalities (axonal damage).
Then I had a SSEP done, which is a step up from an EMG and nerve damage showed in my right leg.

Maybe that's something to consider? A SSEP (click for more info)?