Nerve conduction studies measure how well and how fast the nerves can send electrical signals. Nerves control the muscles in the body with electrical signals called impulses. These impulses make the muscles react in specific ways. Nerve and muscle problems cause the muscles to react in abnormal ways. During the test the patient will be connected to a few electrodes (stick on patches on the skin) and a small electric impulse is delivered through a handheld stimulator. This is usually not painful, but can be discomforting sometimes. Since the electrodes are attached to your skin, make sure it is clean and free of sprays, oils, creams, and lotions. Please make sure your hands and feet are warm prior to the test(specially during the colder months of the year) which would enable more accurate results.
If you have arm/leg pain or numbness, you may have these tests to find out how much your nerves are being affected. These tests check how well your spinal nerves and the nerves in your arms and legs are working. These tests are useful to diagnose damage to the peripheral nervous system, which includes all the nerves that lead away from the brain and spinal cord and the smaller nerves that branch out from those nerves. This test is often used to help find nerve problems including carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy.
