Electromyogram (EMG)

Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. Electromyogram is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph, to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electrical potential generated by muscle cells when these cells are electrically or neurologically activated. The signals can be analyzed to detect medical abnormalities, activation level, and recruitment order or to analyze the biomechanics of human or animal movement.

An Electromyogram is done to:

• Find diseases that damage muscle tissue, nerves, or the junctions between nerve and muscle. These problems may include a pinched nerve, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or myasthenia gravis (MG).
• Find the cause of weakness, paralysis, or muscle twitching. Problems in a muscle, the nerves supplying a muscle, the spinal cord, or the area of the brain that controls a muscle can cause these symptoms. The EMG does not show brain or spinal cord diseases.

Electromyogram Contraindications:

• Coumadin (Blood Thinner)