Why is my back numb
Neuropathic Pain that cause burning, numbness, tingling, and in patients.
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- Hi, I'm Dr. Arash Bidgol.
I'm a Physical Medicine and Rehab Specialist,
with some specialty training in pain management.
There are lots of things that can cause
burning, numbness, tingling, pain in patients.
This is what we call neuropathic pain.
What we have here that we can perform
at Comprehensive Spine Center of Dallas
are what are called electrodiagnostic studies.
These include EMG and NCB studies.
EMG stands for electromyography,
and nerve conduction velocity testing.
The test is designed to see if
there is any nerve entrapment or nerve damage
that is a source of your pain.
The test can be slightly uncomfortable.
The test involves using a gadget
that delivers a small electrical impulse,
at which time we're able to measure
the speed and size of the nerve function.
The test does also involve a small needle
that records the electrical activity of your muscles.
This test allows us to identify
if there's any nerve entrapment
or nerve damage as a source of your pain.
So what we do is we put different electrodes
on different places on the arms or the leg,
depending on which body part we're testing.
We send an electrical impulse,
which travels through the path of the nerve,
through the spine, into the brain.
The brain states that the signal was received
and will send an impulse back.
And we're able to generate a tracing
that indicates whether that was done as fast as it should be
and if the response is as big as it should be.
And if there's any slowing anywhere along
the path of the nerve, we'll be able to localize it.
So patients that have had a pinched nerve in their neck
that's causing neuropathic, or what we call
radicular type, pain, this can be helpful in diagnosing
the exact level at which the nerve root is damaged.
Patients who also have symptoms of
carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome,
or patients that have generalized complaints
of weakness, burning, numbness, tingling
could benefit from an electrodiagnostic evaluation.
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