Re: EMG's

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone.

Call me crazy but I just requested another EMG.The physiatrist I saw wants me to

have one from someone who is more experienced with CMT. That's one reason I'm

asking people in South Florida if they have

doctors they can recommend. I'm in Jensen Beach, an hour north of West Palm on

the east coast.

I've had several EMG's over the past 25 years. Long ago I had a back injury

with radiculopathy (what most people call sciatica) and I've had three serious

injuries from auto accidents so I had EMG's that

showed nerve damage from the injuries. About ten or twelve years ago I had new

symptoms, specifically my hands and arms were contracting uncontrollably

accompanied by extremely severe pain in arms and legs

and an EMG/nerve conduction study was done after the neurologist suspected CMT.

I have continuing interaction between the injuries I've had and the CMT damaged

nerves.

Anyway, yes EMG's hurt. I know that one person said that the pain lasted and

lasted and I'm not doubting thaat person's experience but that is not typical. I

would describe it as just the opposite. The pain is over the second the tiny

instrument or the needle is

removed.

I'm an occupational therapist with an aquatic therapy practice. Over the past

twenty years I've treated hundreds of chronic pain patients who have had EMG's.

No one ever liked it but no one ever described

feeling pain a second after it was over. (Again, I'm not saying that it couldn't

affect someone differently.) But I had to write to let you know that it isn't

what usually happens. Once I brought an oil

that smelled good so I could focus on that for the split second of pain. The

neurologist, who happened to be chief of neurology at the University of

Pennsylvania, found that amusing.

Two other thing about EMG's--

1)They can be done by technicians or they can be done by doctors who do them

some of the time or by doctors or technicians who are very, very experienced at

administering them. That makes a big difference!

2)My last one hurt a lot less than in the past. I complimented that neurologist

on doing it so well that it barely hurt and she said that wasn't actually a good

sign, meaning that I was feeling it less due to

the progression of the disease.

About kids--My son had one when he was six. He was scared but he tolerated it. I

didn't know my problems ere from CMT at the time that I had him but when he was

six the way he ran made me think he had CMT. I wouldn't have had him tested with

an EMG if I hadn't seen signs. Again, people have to be careful about what they

observe. In our case it was the right hing to do. My son is now sixteen and he

is a varsity swimmer but he does have fatigue and pain and balance problems.

However, he told me years ago that felt sorry for me growing up and not knowing

why I couldn't keep up when I was such a tomboy and I loved sports but I just

couldn't run or skate or do long kick sets in swimming like my teammates could.

My son meant that at least he is glad to know WHY he feels the way he does.

Personally, if I had not seen the signs I would not have had the EMG done on a

small child. But I thought it best to know for sure once I suspected it.

After my son and I were diagnosed my mother and one of my sisters were

diagnosed on the basis of a physical exam through the MDA. They were not given

EMG's.

Deni