Testing the leg with EMG plus a nerve conduction study (NCS) tells whether a nerve somewhere between your low back and toes is pinched or hurt, and how badly. The test is done, and the report written and signed, by a physician.
You get this test only if your physician orders it. Our staff books it and keeps following up, visit after visit, until the result is in your chart.
What is the nerve test of the leg?
Two parts in one visit. The nerve conduction study times how fast signals travel along the nerves of the leg. The EMG records a few leg muscles through a very thin needle. A physician runs both parts and signs the report.
Why would your physician order it?
Pain, numbness or weakness down a leg after a fall or a crash may start at a squeezed nerve root by the spine, or lower down, at a nerve in the leg itself. The test tells which, so care lands where it is needed.
What does the test feel like?
First, small pads on the skin give quick electrical pulses along the nerve; each one feels like a brief snap. Next, a very fine needle is placed in a few muscles to record them; expect a pinch. You can usually drive home and carry on as normal.
How do you get ready?
Wear loose pants you can push above the knee, or shorts. Skip lotion on your legs that day.
What should you tell us first?
Let us know before the test if any of these apply to you:
- Blood thinners
- A pacemaker
- Skin trouble or swelling on that leg
How long does it take?
30 to 60 minutes.
What to remember
- It pinpoints the damaged nerve and grades the damage.
- Bare, lotion-free legs on test day.
- Mention any blood thinner or pacemaker ahead of time.
Show us you have it: Describe your outfit for test day that leaves your legs bare, and the lotion you will not put on. If any part is unclear, ask us to go over it again; there is no limit on that.
For the background on how the study works, see our main page on the EMG and nerve conduction study. Leg symptoms it helps sort out include sciatica, a herniated disc and peripheral neuropathy.
Other tests in the program
- Nerve test of the arm (EMG/NCS)
- CMAT (CardioMetabolic Assessment Test)
- Cognivue
- Kinetisense
- RQ (resting metabolic rate)
- VNG (balance and dizziness test)
This page belongs to the Gateway Midwest physician-directed physiotherapy program. On Natural Bridge Road, the physician who examined you signs each order, and no treatment runs without a physician on site.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
You do not need a lawyer, a police report or a referral to be seen. Bring your symptoms and we will work out the rest.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Same-day appointments are often available for new accident and injury patients.