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Nerve conduction study
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A nerve is a live wire: electrical signals travel along it. A nerve conduction study measures how fast and how well those signals travel along it, which is why it is used to look for nerve damage or disease.
The idea is simple: a signal is sent in at one end, and how fast and how well it arrives at the other is measured. Patches called stimulating electrodes are placed on the skin, right over the nerve being tested, and they deliver a mild electrical pulse. Other patches, the recording electrodes, go on the muscle that nerve controls and record the response. It is like tapping one end of a pipe and listening at the other to find out whether the sound arrives whole and on time. And when it is done together with electromyography, which studies the muscle, the combination helps show whether the problem is in the muscle or in the nerve.
In brief
A nerve conduction study measures how fast and how well the body's electrical signals travel along the nerves, and it is used to look for nerve damage or disease.
Stimulating electrodes are placed on the skin over the nerve being tested and deliver a mild electrical pulse, while recording electrodes on the muscles that nerve controls pick up the response.
Done together with electromyography, it helps tell whether symptoms come from a muscle disorder or a nerve disorder.
Sources (1)
- MedlinePlus, National Library of MedicineElectromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction StudiesPublished
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