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mspennyloafer

03-13-2011 07:16 PM

newbie question

sorry guys im trying to search for this and it may seem obvious but its not to me and i cant type much

i am waiting for an mri and i had a nerve conduction test and an emg (altho im not sure if they tested the rt muscles) anyways. since the emg came back "normal" does that mean i dont have a bugling disc?

huge tia

Matthew2009

03-13-2011 09:11 PM

Hi Tia,

I will tell you for me my emg's were negative, but I do have a bulging disc. If you have a bulging disc it may or may not be pressing the a nerve or not enough to cause a change in conduction in your nerves.

I do hope that you do not have a bulging disc because I have 2 of them and I have a lot of leg pain.

Matthew

Dubious

03-13-2011 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mspennyloafer (Post 752731)

EMG's have a false negative rate of around 50%. So a negative EMG means that there is either not a problem or a 50% chance that it missed the problem.

An EMG will not diagnose a bulging disc. It may help decide if there is abnormal nerve/muscle issues but won't tell you why. An MRI or CT will help deliniate a bulging disc but won't tell you if it is potentially causing a nerve/muscle issue.

You need your doc to put the pieces of the puzzle together for you as what is missing and is very much a big piece of the puzzle are your subjective complaints, history and examination findings...

mspennyloafer

03-14-2011 11:30 AM

huge tia means (huge thanks in advance) hahaha

emg/nerve tests sound so stupid then. they shoud be cheaper seeing that they are so unreliable.

thanks for the info

Dubious

03-14-2011 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mspennyloafer (Post 752887)

huge tia means (huge thanks in advance) hahaha

emg/nerve tests sound so stupid then. they shoud be cheaper seeing that they are so unreliable.

thanks for the info

Well, they are useful sometimes! While a negative EMG may not mean much a positive EMG is very helpful in further defining ones issues.

Sheri_TOS

03-15-2011 01:39 AM

Yes, EMGs can be quite helpful and they can occassionally be positive. Mine was positive for TOS. Subsequent EMGs have shown that the nerves affected by TOS have regrown and they also show that I have a chronic (long-term) problem with C5/C6.

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