Nerve Conduction Test?

I went to my PCP yesterday to get my vitamin D levels checked because they were low last time and I have been on a supplement to help remedy that.

Anyway, I mentioned that my hands and feet/legs tingle randomly and there isnt an obvious cause like sitting the wrong way. I can be sitting in a chair and my legs will start to go numb because of it.

So now, she is sending me for a nerve conduction test and I have 0 idea what to expect. Is it painful? How long does it usually take?

I didn't think too much if it and now I am little freaked out.

They were checked about 6 weeks ago and everything besides my WBC and Vit D were off. WBC were high and Vit D was low. I have no back problems and am actually hypermobile in my joints. She said something about getting this done before sending me other tests. I dont even know what she is testing for. The only thing she did mention a little was MS? This is just a lot very suddenly and I am very overwhelmed.

Motox:
It seems a tad unusual for a physician to order an EMG as a first-line diagnostic study for a casual complaint of intermittent tingling of the fingers and tingling/numbness of the feet.

What area/nerve branch is the EMG to study? There is a lot of potential peripheral nerve territory to study if your PCP intends for studies of both the upper and lower extremities. It seems unusual for a physician to order an EMG with the low intensity symptoms that you are reporting. Did you express to your PCP that your tingling/numbness was more problematic/disruptive than you have mentioned in this post?

I agree with Susie that low vitamin B12 levels are a prime suspect. Low vitamin B12 is associated with peripheral neuropathy (tingling, lack of sensory sensitivity, numbness). Vitamin B12 is absorbed by the terminal end of the small intestine. Supplementation can easily correct for deficiencies.

Personally, I would want more clarification from my physician as to his/her rationale for ordering an EMG (what is to the information to gained from the procedure) and the specific site of the body to be studied.

Basically, with an EMG a low voltage current is applied to a specific nerve and the transmission velocity over time measured over the distance that the nerve travels. Where the voltage/stimulus is applied along the length of the nerve is a key variable in interpreting the results. An EMG study is mildly/moderately uncomfortable.

Multiple sclerosis is generally considered to be an auto-immune disorder characterized by sporadic loss of the myelin sheath covering that insulates nerve fibers in the central nervous system. In a healthy person, electrical impulses gain speed/velocity as they travel along a nerve fiber owing to the protection of myelin. Early symptoms of MS are often the unintentional dropping of simple objects (car keys or a pencil) or tripping/stumbling when walking or visual disruptions - as the electrical impulses of motor neurons are delayed or fragmented due to deficits in the myelin sheath coverings. A diagnosis of MS would be reserved for evaluation by a neurologist and would include more detailed testing + neuro-imaging/MRI.
Karen

Is it an EMG or a NCS?

I had both - they’re often done together in one appt.

The emg hurt somewhat because I wasn’t prepared - they do insert very thin needles - the NCS is just pads on the skin.

The Neurologist sent me to have them done - they can help rule out diseases like ALS, Guille barre syndrome

I had both sides (left and right) done - as they wanted a comparison.

Darla:
Intermittent numbness in the distal lower extremities could well be a sign of vascular insufficiency and not a central or peripheral nerve issue. The clinical term is “intermittent venous claudication.”

Sitting can elicit symptoms of vascular insufficiency as long periods of inactivity compound already narrowed vascular passageways, slowed circulation, or faulty one-way valves in the veins that keep blood from pooling in the lower legs and feet.

Have you voiced other concerning symptoms that may be promoting your physician to order an EMG? Has this tingling and numbness been ongoing for some time?
Karen

motox, I wish you well as you go through this. Sometimes the not knowing is the worst. I've had the whole neuro testing done. Actually, several times. It's not terrible but not what you'd want to do to celebrate either. If the EMG comes back showing something I'd imagine they will do the other tests as well.

One other thought, the Dr. might have noticed things that you didn't know or realize etc. Like reflexes being a bit off. Don't panic I was just offering a theory. There are many things that the body does that really doesn't have a reason for. Anyway, that might also be why the Dr. decided to do the test.

Hang in there. Hopefully your appt. is close and it will all be over.

Went back to my PCP today to discuss results and the NCS was perfectly normal. She basically told me that she doesn't want to order any other tests and to go see a neuro about my issues. In the same breath, she said that she is going to be at the office all night charting.

I'm a little bit lost at the moment about what to do about this. I want to know what is going on, but I do not want to blindly go into tests that a neuro may order just for them to come back normal and we are back where we are but my wallet is lighter.

I was talking to one of my teachers at school (who happens to be a chiropractor) and mentioned my hypermobility and he said it may be having an impact on my spine that isn't detectable on an NCS? He seemed willing to help me figure it out on his end if he is able. But it is worth going down that route?

Hello straydog,

It is more positional than anything. It starts out as tingling and starts to move up from my feet into my legs. In my feet/legs when it starts to go away, it gets really tight and hypersensitive and hurts to move it/put weight on it.

In my hands, it just sticks with my fingers and doesn't really go beyond that. Also with my hands, it can take a very long time for it to go away, but when it does it doesn't hurt. I have been driving to work in the morning and they will start to tingle and will stay like that most of the day.

IMHO, getting it all checked out in the best way possible would at least relieve your mind, at worse tell you what you might have to deal with. Either way, it's more progressive than nothing. Especially, if you're worried about it all. And, because your deductible is met all the better to do it rather than wait and have to pay it later.

Not to mention the sort of oddball stuff that can come up. I had severe pain going down my arm into my hand. I also had numbness and tingling. All it took to trigger it was to toss a ball to my toddler, hold her etc. I finally went to a neurologist and found out that I was born with an extra rib on both sides of my body. Because I was already small (I am very short) it was blocking even worse. They took them both out and I still have some problem but nothing close to what it was before. Who every would have thought of that in a routine fashion?

Please update when you can.