Is an emg test necessary if the mri shows c4, c5 and c6 nerves pinched. have c4, c5 and c6 ruptured disc in neck with c4 c5 and c6 pinched nerves on right side and c6 nerve pinched on left side. have had bone scan, and ct and now doctor is wanting emg.

Not : Not all disk herniations cause pain. Emg is helpful to determine which disks and nerves are symptomatic. This information may help determine the disks operated on. Therefore, EMG is often necessary because it may give important information. Good luck!

An : An EMG (often with an associated nerve conduction test) often looks for problems other than a pinched nerve, in additon to sorting out which pinched nerve is the problem. In my practice, when a patient's symptoms do not clearly match the problem I am seeing on the mri, an emg/ncs is very useful to rule out other problems that often mimic herniated discs and pinched nerves. For example, problems with the brachial plexus (network of nerves between the neck and shoulder), entrapped nerves in the shoulder or arm, or diabetic neuropathies can be picked up by EMG and not by mri. In general, I do not do emg's if everything adds up nicely. If you have a pinched nerve at c6, with pain/numbness/weakness in the pattern of the C6 root, then i would not need an emg. However, if the character of the pain is unusual (a pinched nerve typically causes a sharp, severe, lancinating pain or a dull ache, not usually a burning pain), or if the symptoms are in a distribution other than that of the pinched nerve, or if the symptoms are in multiple different parts of the arm which would require many nerves to be involved, then EMG often helps sort things out. The important thing is to get the right answer and to avoid unnecessary surgery. From your question, the fact that your pain is burning, and that you had no relief from therapy or injections raises the possibility that this is not a typical pinched nerve, and likely warrants an emg. I hope this helps.