I am supposed to be doing some ANS (autonomic nervous system) tests to see if my MS is not only CNS (central nervous system) but also ANS. They tell me this will include an EMG.

Tell me your story or yours, or what you know.

Thanks!

I have had EMG's twice, to both my hands and my feet. Little tingles to little zaps, to a few that will get your attention but not really hurt. At least for me they are nothing compared to the shooting pains and spasms I get every day!

I've had an EMG of my hands twice.

Once waaaay back in 1990 or 1991...I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. I supposedly had carpal tunnel in both hands, but now I kind of wonder if it was MS causing the problems with my hands. (surgery worked for about a year or two, then the pain came back) They had to do an EMG to diagnose the carpal tunnel. I remember it kind of tickling, but wasnt really painful.

The last EMG was in 2008, I think. I'd talked to my neuro about the fact that my hands fall asleep on me when I'm sleeping. He said he couldnt determine anything about why my hands do that. It wasnt apparently an MS thing, so he thought it might have been positional...that maybe I was compressing a nerve when I'm asleep. (hands wake up almost immediately after waking up, not really any pins and needles either...which is weird, if it's from a compressed nerve.)

The EMG in 2008, was a little more painful than I remember from the last one. My fingers and arms hurt a little bit for about a day afterward. (kind of achy and stiff) But, it wasnt excruciating or anything, more like a few pulled muscles.

I just slightly remember, since I was in the hospital and on Valium, at the time.

Good luck..

I think I will ask for some sedation or anxiety meds for it.

Thanks for all the stories.

Agree with the others. Some were kind of tingly others were some zaps that at the time were pretty uncomfortable but only lasted a millisecond so it was OK. I never lost any sleep in the anticipation of it or afterwards. But I'm a tough cookie and harldy anything bothers me. Except if my grandbabies are sick! Oldest one had a toothache today and had to have it removed., She loved the laughing gas!

EMG's arent scary or anything. You probably dont need any sedation, since they might be asking you to tense your muscles for certain parts of the test.

My neuro did the EMG for me by himself. He taped some electrodes or sensor thingies (whatever they're called) to certain places on my arms and hands, and had a thing connected to a little computer screen. That he touched to the sensor thingies. The shocks you get are more annoying than painful. Might make your fingers twitch a little bit, but it's mostly annoying and not really painful. I think the aches I got were from the muscles contracting when he was doing the test...like I pulled some muscles.

The EMG I had back in 90 or 91, they used needles (really thin, didnt hurt when they put them on my wrist) and they clipped the electrode thingies to the needles.

It wasnt scary or anything. It was so much more easy than having an MRI (MRI's scare the crap out of me). Much easier than going to the dentist. (I'd rather have an EMG than go to the dentist for a teeth cleaning)