What you need to know about Arizona Injuries and Electrodiagnostic Testing After an Accident
by Phoenix Nerve Damage Lawyer - Mark Breyer
As personal injury lawyers, we represent Arizona accident victims who have undergone an EMG. Whether it be a slip and fall, motorcycle collision, trucking crash, or an auto accident, many people receive injuries that cause them to need an EMG.
Our bodies are full of electric signals which send messages from our brains to our muscles. Often times injuries from motorcycle or car collisions, slip and falls, and any other type of accident, cause our brains to stop or interfere with the electrical signals. Symptoms often include numbness and weakness in the muscles. It is difficult for a doctor to know if the electrical signals are not being sent unless they conduct an electrodiagnostic test. After an accident and treatment, if the doctors are unable to determine the cause of your injuries, they will request an EMG for an additional diagnostic tool. After a serious motor vehicle collision or slip and fall, it may be very obvious what all of your injuries are and how to treat them, but often times doctors might have trouble determining the causation of different symptoms that a person is experiencing because of an accident.
An electrodiagnostic testing uses either an electromyography (EMG) or a nerve conduction study (NCS). These tests are conducted by a specialist and usually take an hour to complete.
Nerves and muscles create electrical signals that deliver messages to and from the brain. Sensory nerves deliver information about your surroundings to the brain. Motor nerves deliver signals from the brain to activate your muscles. Electrodiagnostic testing is often done to determine the extent of injury to a nerve after an accident.
As Phoenix car accident lawyers, we frequently see clients having to use these tests. Electromyography records the level of electrical movement in the muscles of the arms and legs. A normal muscle at rest does not have any electrical motion. An EMG is done by inserting small thin needles into the muscles. This may be uncomfortable, but it is a short process. The doctor will ask the patient to be still and then to tense the muscles. The reaction of electrical current lets the specialist know if the muscles are fully functioning. After the test, the needles will be carefully removed and may cause some soreness and bruising.
The procedure for an NCS is much less invasive. It requires doctors to tape wires to the skin and send electrical current into the nerves. The shock of electricity is not painful and will only last momentarily. The test measures the speed at which the electrical current travels.
As Arizona nerve damage attorneys, The Husband and Wife Law Team are available for a free consultation. You can call 602-267-1280. We understand the important of handling all your questions and getting you the best settlement possible when you have a nerve damage injury. Alexis and Mark Breyer are highly experienced with Mark Breyer being named Top 100 Attorneys and having a perfect lawyer ranking on lawyer rating services.
