With an MRI, the doctor will be able to see soft tissues like ligaments, discs, tendons, and muscles. This could be due to a congenital defect. X-Rays in the bending, lying, and standing positions can let the doctor see if there is any spinal instability that may be contributing to the patient’s problem. This helps determine the muscles and nerve roots or nerves that need testing.Īdditional testing that could help include X-Ray and MRI. The physician that is examining the patient needs to check muscle strength and reflexes in different parts of the body. Sciatica and Radiculopathy Testing Must Correlate with Symptomsįor everyone with sciatica or radiculopathy, it’s important that any testing done correlates with a patient’s history and neurological exam. Only necessary nerves should be stimulated to find the problem. These tests can be uncomfortable, so it’s very important that they are carried out by a specially certified physician. This tests the electrical conduction of specific nerves. An EMG is always performed in conjunction with nerve conduction testing (NCV). When performing an EMG, tiny pin electrodes are inserted into specific muscles whose electrical connections are known.

EMG stands for Electromyogram, an electrical test used to test the “electrical circuits” of nerve and nerve roots. When a clinical exam combines with EMG testing, this helps bridge the gap to 100% certainty. A neurologist determines if a nerve is injured with about 80% accuracy in the exam room. When a patient is dealing with sciatica, finding which nerve is injured can greatly help the healing process.

Emg test for sciatica