Can an EMG cause nerve Damage

[lsroesch]

On 6/13/2008, I had a second EMG study. I was fine through the nerve study, but when the doctor put the needle into my leg for the muscle part, I screamed and felt like something was shooting through my leg, pulsating. I could not believe the pain I was in. The doctor was going to stop the test.  I needed him to continue since I have had a pain shooting through the front of my right leg for the past 3 years and nothing I have done has helped. I had a bi-later framinotomy last October, and still had the pain, then I went through 7 1/2 weeks of Spinal decompression and still had the pain. The first EMG study showed nothing, I was in pain afterwards. I was told that the nerve was irritated and it would be fine. Which it was later. This EMG study was different I called the physician after a couple of days to  tell her that I was in extreme pain from the EMG, and they put me on Neurontin 600 mg a day. It did not touch the pain. I called back two days ago to tell them that I had a numbness started in my foot area going up my leg. I also have a spot on the side of my leg that if you touch it, it radiates down my foot. The pain is unbelieveable. I have actually cried to get up out of bed in the morning. There answer was: " take 1200 mg neruontin this week and 1800 mg next week".  First of all, I could hardly function on 600 at one time, so I separated it into 300 2x a day. They want me to take 600 mg 3x a day. The worse part of the whole thing is, it doesn't touch the pain, just my head.  Now, My question is, "Is it possible that the EMG person hit a nerve in my leg?", and if so, what can be done to help it? I can't stand it anymore, It has been 2 weeks, and it is actually getting worse day by day, and no one will listen to me.  

[TommyKnocker81]

Has your pain after EMG test went away? If it did, in what kind of time frame.
Thank you for your reply.

[Claire_MHModerator]

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[Nancy2u]

I had an EMG on my arms and legs.....but since I had it done I have had in my left arm numbness a couple of times.  But now I get a cramp in my thumb and first finger and they draw up tight....I use my right had to pull my finger back in place.  I have never had anything like that in my life time. Did they do some damage to my hand?  They said I have a pinched nerve in my left arm but strange I never had anything like this until now.  

[PJUUIII]

They did it to me 8 yrs ago. I was in so much pain from my feet all of a sudden out of nowhere (I was a runner, dancer, and tai bo enthusiast) and drs would do nothing. I finally thought I was going to be admitted to a hospital (DR. ***** told me if the mg showed anything, she would, but otherwise would send me home to be in agony again for God knows how long) (I had been fervently seeking medical attn, for almost 2 months of pain so bad I literally was screaming most of the time), could not even STEP DOWN on my feet or even lay in bed in ANY position without horrible pain in them (it was only in the feet, remember). After the emg was only started I was cursing Latin from pain that shot into my sciatic nerve. After security was called on me (a Nightmare I don't even want to get into), I went home. a few hours later was startled by a pain the likes of which I will never forget, then WITNESSED with my EYES my vastus lateralis move to the front, and the connect to my knee somehow, now the pain was beyond compare. I suffered thru this with no pain management, as I had the whole time since EVERYTHING they gave me made it worse. It is now 8 years later, and I am in a wheelchair since. I now have peritonitis from the diverticulitis and a whole body infection. It has taken me 1 hour already to write this because I keep having to stop because of pain. I will probably die from this since I  now have PTSS from the way the drs treated me the whole time I was seeking help (I stopped 4 yrs ago untill recently), hospitalized twice from the diverticulitis(which they found 8 yrs ago with MRI and did NOTHING), with no lasting results, now all the pain is all over my body, I have electrical sensations constantly, cannot go out of the house because I am hit with excrutiating pain at any given time and might "scare" someone, and I am done . I sincerely hope I die.

[c_pain]

Wow, I just wish I read this info. before I did this non-sense test called EMG, the test was not that painful to me, may be because I have hade a lots of pain during the past 2 years, the problem or shall I say the crazy severe lower back pain, and the nightmare headache began after a couple of hours I got home from the EMG test, I take baclofen, Neurontin, and migraine headache medicine, it has been about 5 days now since this EMG test done, unfortunately too bad for me the pain is killing me especially the headache, since nothing and I mean nothing works for it, I am told by my neurologist to drink a lots of fluids for the next several days, and the pain should go away. If fluid does the trick that's easy since I love to drink water. But it is amazing that all physician are oblivious to this pain we are going to after EMG, they need to check this forum and ask them selves, why we are getting this pain, at least they need to start doing some research about it.

[kfri]

I too Had an EMG done April 2013. Previously I had had 2 done by another DR without issue(One showed some minor sciatic irritation On Left) This EMG in April was done only on the Right side and performed in a cold room & Dr's technique was not as good as the other. The needle went into my Right thigh and the muscle tightened and hurt a lot more than usual.
I was there because I was having nerve irritation in legs and mostly feet burning swelling redness. All of my motor skills were fine. When I got home within a couple hrs my leg was in severe pain could barely straighten knee. pain in lower leg near anle and on foot. Toe began twitching. Called office and they said that can't happen just rest and drink water. of course my test came back normal. They never followed through with another Dr saying it was a hematoma. I am still in pain and my right leg has never been the same I have severe pain stabbing swelling. EMG's are dangerous and should be a last resort and not performed more than once. I would love to take action but don't know how.