Can You Benefit from a Nerve Conduction Study?

Consider for a moment how quickly your peripheral nervous system works. You put your hand near a flame and your nerves immediately register danger thanks to a quick interaction between your brain and your nerves that causes you to quickly pull your hand back. 

And all of this happens within the space of milliseconds.

We know all of this because of technology like nerve conduction studies, which gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how your peripheral nerves are functioning, both in terms of strength and speed.

So if you’re one of the millions of Americans who have problems in their peripheral nervous system, a nerve conduction study is an incredibly valuable diagnostic tool. 

In fact, it’s a tool that board-certified neurologist Dr. Paul Gill, frequently turns to at Gill Neuroscience to help him identify problematic nerve issues that range from peripheral neuropathy to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Health issues that can lead to peripheral nerve malfunction

We first want to discuss some of the more common health issues that can affect your peripheral nervous system, including:

• Peripheral neuropathy, which affects more than 20 million Americans
• Carpal tunnel syndrome, which is the most common neuropathy
• Sciatica, which affects up to 40% of the population
• Herniated discs
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affects your lower limbs
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Multiple sclerosis, which affects 1 million Americans

This list is far from complete, but we wanted to give you an idea about the scope of conditions that involve your peripheral nervous system.

What a nerve conduction study can tell us

If you have unexplained weakness, areas of numbness and tingling, or pain that has no obvious cause, our first diagnostic stop may well be the nerve conduction study (NCS).

The good news is that this study is a quick and easy test that’s noninvasive and pain-free. 

To conduct an NCS, Dr. Gill attaches stimulating electrodes near the area where you’re experiencing problems. He then attaches other electrodes nearby to record your muscles’ response to the stimulation.

With the electrodes in place, Dr. Gill sends a mild electrical pulse through the stimulating electrode to, well, stimulate the nerve. (You should only feel the electrical pulse as a mild tingling.) 

The recording electrodes then report how quickly your muscles respond to the stimulation, or the conduction velocity.

In brief, these electrodes are able to spot any weak signals in your peripheral nerves that suggest nerve damage, or neuropathy.

Bear in mind that we might conduct another test at the same time — an electromyography — which focuses on the interaction between your nerves and your muscles and how quickly and strongly your muscles respond. 

Preparing for your nerve conduction study

As we mentioned, an NCS is a relatively quick-and-easy test that we can perform right here in our offices.

There’s nothing you need to do to prepare, though you can make everything go more smoothly if you:

• Leave jewelry at home
• Wear comfortable clothes
• Avoid putting lotion on your body so the electrodes stick better

There’s also no downtime afterward, so you can get right back to your day while we analyze the results from your NCS. 

As you can see, the simple nerve conduction study can play a key role in getting to the bottom of nerve issues of all kinds and guide us moving forward.

If you have more questions about nerve conduction studies or you suspect you might benefit from one, please don’t hesitate to call our Houston, Texas, office at 832-912-7777. You can also use our online form to request an appointment.