Electromyography (EMG) Labs

Our electromyography (EMG) laboratories pinpoint the source of weakness, numbness and cramping that occurs with neuromuscular and other nervous system disorders. Specialists perform thousands of tests each year and maintain national recognition for high-quality assessments.

What is EMG testing?

Your nerves and muscles communicate with the brain using electrical impulses. EMG is one of many electrodiagnostic studies that help us assess these impulses and how well they control muscle movement. This information enables doctors to diagnose neurologic nerve and muscle disorders with a high degree of accuracy.

Conditions we evaluate using EMG, autonomic testing and evoked potentials

Neurologic conditions we evaluate include:

• ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Autonomic disorders
• Movement disorders, including dystonia and tremor
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Myopathy and myositis

We also use this type of testing to assess peripheral neuropathy, including:

• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD)
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Multifocal motor neuropathy
• Small fiber neuropathy

EMG testing at Henry Ford: Why choose us?

You receive services from neurologists with advanced training in neurophysiology (assessments of nervous system functioning). Our expertise and attention to detail have earned our program top recognition from the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Highlights include:

• Focus on comfort: EMG testing involves placing a needle into a muscle or nearby tissue. It often causes discomfort during the procedure and muscle soreness afterward. We take extra steps, like using the smallest necessary needle and relaxation techniques, to ease these effects.
• Specialized options: We offer single-fiber EMGs to test functioning in ways that are not possible with other studies. This option stimulates individual muscle fibers and assesses the response. You may need a single-fiber EMG if standard evaluations for myasthenia gravis are not conclusive. Only a few other centers in Michigan provide this test.
• Convenience: Neuromuscular disorders make it difficult to get around, which is why we make it easier to receive testing close to home. Certified EMG labs are in several locations throughout southeast and south central Michigan.
• Leadership: Henry Ford is training the next generation of neurophysiology experts through an accredited fellowship program. Only centers like ours that perform a high volume of tests with exceptional accuracy maintain this honor. Learn more about our clinical neurophysiology fellowship.

Electrodiagnostic tests we offer

You have access to a broad range of tests, including:

• Autonomic reflex testing: This test assesses the nervous system’s ability to control blood pressure, sweating and heart rate.
• Evoked potential studies: A gentle electrical current helps us assess the pathways signals take from the brain to the nerves.
• Needle EMG: Experts insert a thin needle into muscle tissue. The needle records electrical signals from the brain and the muscle’s response.
• Nerve conduction studies: We apply a gentle current to nerve tissue and record the response. This test shows how well electrical signals are traveling to nerves.
• Single-fiber electromyography (EMG): We stimulate individual muscle fibers and assess the response.

Other services our electrodiagnostic specialists provide

Additional services we provide include:

• Injections: We use nerve monitoring equipment to deliver Botox®, nerve blocks and trigger point injections to precisely the right spot. These therapies help you get relief from muscle stiffness (spasticity) and joint pain.
• Intraoperative nerve monitoring: Experts monitor nerves during complicated brain and spine surgeries. Our attention enables you to receive the surgical care you need while protecting sensitive nerve tissue.
• Muscle, nerve and skin biopsies: Neurophysiologists make a small incision to access muscle or nerve and take a tissue sample. Pathologists specializing in neurologic disease examine it under a microscope.

Contact us

Learn more about EMG testing. Call us at (800) 436-7936 or request an appointment.