# Questions about painfulness of EMG (electromyography)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 8, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350 "2014-06-08T20:31:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/1 "2014-06-08T20:31:34Z")
Has anyone had this procedure, ever or recently? It’s called [EMG (electromyography](http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/test_procedures/neurological/electromyography_emg_92,P07656/)). I have a friend who’s going to have it soon, and I said I’d ask the SDMB. Here’s a brief description for those who have never heard of it. I’m guessing if you’ve had it, you won’t forget it.
> [@](#):
>
> What is EMG?
>
> Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them (motor neurons).
>
> EMG measures muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve’s stimulation of the muscle. The test is used to help detect neuromuscular abnormalities. During the test, one or more small needles (also called electrodes) are inserted through the skin into the muscle. The electrical activity picked up by the electrodes is then displayed on an oscilloscope (a monitor that displays electrical activity in the form of waves). An audio-amplifier is used so the activity can be heard. EMG measures the electrical activity of muscle during rest, slight contraction and forceful contraction. _[More info at the link above]_
My question to anyone who has had it is “how painful was it?” Googling yields a spectrum of responses from “it was okay” to “it was worse than childbirth” to “I’d rather die than ever have it again.” So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you assess the pain level when you had it? (If a friend/family member had it, your sense of their experience is also welcome.)
Other questions: how recently did you have it, were you advised/permitted to take pain meds before? Seems like that might interfere with the results. Some people said bring your pain meds with you and take immediately after. Also, how long did the whole thing last, how long did the painful part(s) last, did you have pain afterwards, if so, how long (some people said the pain afterwards lasted for weeks). Just generally, how traumatic (or non-traumatic) was the experience? Was the diagnostic value worth the pain?
Anything else you want to throw in, please do. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/2 "2014-06-08T23:52:41Z")
I had it in '08 and the pain was only a 2. Not bad. Felt funny and weird more than painful. I don’t remember if I had to change what meds I took in advance.
Turns out I have quadrilateral space syndrome, which is really rare for older non-athletes.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/3 "2014-06-09T00:00:02Z")
Pain meds for an EMG? I can’t lie - an EMG and its common accomplice, an NCV, are not pleasant, but once the test is done, so is the discomfort.
I’ve had a few of them, and I can’t imagine describing them being anything like childbirth or something g that lasts for weeks.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/4 "2014-06-09T00:08:28Z")
I had one when I was a teenager - I thought it hurt like hell, but it wasn’t a lasting pain, by any means. I’ve had migraines and such, and I’d much rather have an EMG.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/5 "2014-06-09T01:02:31Z")
I had an EMG and a NCV a few years ago. The EMG was like getting acupuncture. Almost painless. The NCV was pretty damn painful.
Two two tests are often done together. I wonder if some of the really bad reports of EMGs really are talking about NCVs.
I don’t remember how long it took, but the EMG was the quicker of the two. The NCV was…maybe half an hour to 45 minutes?
My tests were to rule out other issues. They came back normal. It’s hard to quantify the diagnostic value, but I had an injury that just wasn’t getting better. We were trying to figure out if we need to give it more time, or go for something more aggressive. The results indicated to give it more time, which we did. I got better. So I guess it was useful.
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### Author:  [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/6 "2014-06-09T03:18:08Z")
pain is always subjective, of course, but most of my patients who have undergone NCV tests are not eager to repeat them. it is important to remember that my patients who have taken the test live with chronic pain already. It may be a necessary test but my sense is that it is quite painful. Good luck!
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/7 "2014-06-09T07:44:05Z")
Minor data point: I had a consult with a neurologist once, which took place in the procedure room where such procedures are done. There was a rack on the wall with a variety of differently-shaped electrodes hanging on it, which looked like implements that would be found in a torture chamber, or maybe a dentists office.
There was also a cabinet with drawers, with labels on the drawers saying what was in each drawer. One drawer had “electrodes” on the left side, and “ammonia ampules” on the right side. :eek:
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/8 "2014-06-09T11:53:20Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> I had an EMG and a NCV a few years ago. The EMG was like getting acupuncture. Almost painless. The NCV was pretty damn painful.
>
> Two two tests are often done together. I wonder if some of the really bad reports of EMGs really are talking about NCVs.
Oh, good point to raise. I don’t recall if I had both, but that might have been my problem.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/9 "2014-06-09T15:24:44Z")
Thanks for the replies. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/10 "2014-06-10T20:27:50Z")
I had it done on both legs and I’d rate the actual pain at a 5 or so, with the anticipation ramping that up a couple notches. It was zapZAPZAPOMG I’LL CONFESS… then they repeated it on the other.
An evoked potential test I had a couple years back was pretty awful as well - the websites which say “milldly uncomfortable” LIED (hands not too bad, legs had me nearly hysterical).
By comparison to childbirth: I had an induced labor with a botched, ineffective epidural. That was certainly of a higher magnitude of pain, but the pains evolved so it wasn’t one second fine, next SCREAMING. The C-section with similarly ineffective epidural was BETTER than the EMG testing, as that only hurt around the bladder (not the cutting). The EMG was also worse than my gallbladder attacks back in 2010, though in fairness I believe I got off fairly lightly with the gallbladder.
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### Author:  [@Tamarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamarin)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-painfulness-of-emg-electromyography/690350/11 "2014-06-10T20:46:29Z")
I had it done to determine where my ulnar nerve was compressed before they could do surgery to fix it.
I was nervous because I HATE needles but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Not that I would really want to do it again, but it successfully found the nerve compression in my wrist/palm when the doctor was thinking it was in my elbow.
I like **Mama Zappa’s** pain scale…there were a few “OMG I’LL CONFESS” moments, but mostly it was just uncomfortable and weird to feel the nerves twitch and have my arm jump without my brain telling it to.
The Dr. that did my EMG was super awesome though, and we both had a similar sense of humor, so we were cracking each other up with inappropriate comments. I’d almost go back for another one just to hang out with him again. _Almost._