Chronic peripheral neuropathy and neuropathy.When the cartilage surrounding the disks of your vertebrae deteriorate, the center of each disk is forced outward, placing pressure on a spinal nerve resulting in pain and damage to the nerve. It develops when the median nerve running from the forearm to the hand is pressed between enlarged tendons or ligaments, causing pain and numbness in the fingers. Most patients are familiar with this problem. Symptoms may include weakness or a tingling sensation in your legs. This is a condition in which your body’s immune system is attacking part of the peripheral nervous system. Diagnosing Conditions with Nerve Conduction Velocity Testsīy combining NCV and EMG tests, your physician can better tell whether you’re suffering from a nerve disorder or a muscle disorder and pinpoint the specific disease or condition. An EMG can detect whether the muscle is functioning properly in response to the nerve’s stimulus. The speed of the electrical impulse is calculated by measuring the distance between the electrodes and how long it takes for the impulses to travel between them.Īs part of the nerve conduction study, another test that may be performed simultaneously is called an electromyography (EMG), which measures the electrical activity in your muscles. The process is then repeated for each nerve that is being tested. One stimulates the nerve with a mild electrical impulse, the other records it, while another electrode records the electrical activity. Here’s how it works: two electrodes are applied to the skin over your nerve.

NCV’s are tests that measure how quickly an electrical impulse moves through your nerve and whether the nerve is, in fact, damaged.

If you’re experiencing shooting pains and numbness and tingling in your neck, lower back, wrist or legs, don’t be surprised if you’re doctor recommends a nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test – also known as a nerve conduction study.

Nerve conduction test painful