There have been some comments on other threads about the pain of a SFEMG. I found my first one to be very painful, but by the second I had realized that the position of the needle made a big difference: some spots were sensitive and some weren't. The doctor told me that if he hit a nerve, I could ask him to move the needle. After that, the rest of the test was much better.

It sounds like Kim wouldn't have had the luxury of picking the spots, since the doctor was having so much trouble finding pairs at all. But I just mention this in case it might help someone in the future.

By the way, if anyone ever has a stimulated SFEMG, where electrodes are used to make the muscle move instead of having the patient clench, fear not: the shock doesn't feel like the shocks they give you during an EMG! I hated those, but these didn't hurt.

Abby