Numbness & Tingling In My Hands!

Determining the Cause of Pain

Many people have been told that they will just have to live with the pain, numbness, tingling and burning sensation they are experiencing in the arms or legs, but that may not be true. It’s true that these symptoms are being caused by some nerve interference, but some can be corrected. A Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) test can be used to detect true nerve disorders vs. conditions affected by mechanical compression injury (i.e., carpal tunnel syndrome).

What is a nerve conduction velocity test?

A nerve conduction velocity test (NCV) is an electrical test that is used to determine the adequacy of the conduction of the nerve impulse as it courses down a nerve. This test is used to detect signs of nerve injury.

In this test, the nerve is electrically stimulated, and the electrical impulse "downstream" from the stimulus is measured. This is usually done with surface patch electrodes (they are similar to those used for an electrocardiogram) that are placed on the skin over the nerve at various locations. One electrode stimulates the nerve with a very mild electrical impulse. The resulting electrical activity is recorded by the other electrodes. The distance between electrodes and the time it takes for electrical impulses to travel between electrodes are used to calculate the speed of impulse transmission (nerve conduction velocity). A decreased speed of transmission indicates nerve disease.

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