A nerve conduction velocity test or NCV evaluates the function of the nerves. Furthermore, it determines the ability of the electrical conduction of the motor and sensory nerves. It measures how quickly the electrical impulses move along a nerve. An NCV test at home detects muscle disorders and nerve damage.
Why Do Doctors Recommend An Nerve Conduction Velocity Test?
Doctors recommend nerve conduction studies or NCV Tests for those who develop the symptoms like numbness in fingers, tingling in arms or legs, or experiencing weakness in arms and legs.
NCV test at home is conducted along with an EMG which points out the difference between a nerve and a muscle disorder. Moreover, Nerve Conduction Velocity determines any problem affecting the nerve, whereas an EMG detects the working of the muscle in response to the stimulus of the nerves.
The nerve conduction study mainly constitutes of four factors:
Motor NCS are conducted by electrical stimulation of a peripheral nerve. Likewise, it records the effect on a muscle. The time calculated is based on how long the electrical impulse travels from the stimulation to the recording device.
Sensory NCS are performed between the stimulation of a peripheral nerve and a finger. The examiner calculates the recordings like the motor studies.
F-wave Study uses stimulation of a motor nerve and the potentials from a muscle supplied by the nerve. In addition, it calculates the potential of the nerve, which travels from the place of the stimulating electrode in the limb to the spinal cord and back to the stem. This test assesses the conduction velocity of nerves between the limb and spine. Besides, the motor and sensory nerve conduction test evaluates the conduction in the limb itself.
H-reflex conducts the stimulation of a nerve and records the involuntary electrical discharge from a muscle in the limb. Furthermore, it also accesses the conduction between the stem and the spinal cord.
NCV Test At Home- What It Detects?
- Guillain-Barré syndrome: a condition in which the immune system damages a part of the peripheral nervous system. Likewise, a person may have weakness or a tingling sensation in the legs.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: enlarged ligaments squeeze the median nerve from the forearm into the hand on the wrist. In addition, the syndrome is associated with pain and numbness in the fingers.
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited neurological condition affecting both the motor and sensory nerves. The symptoms generally are weakness in the foot and lower leg muscles.
- Herniated disk disease: a condition where the fibrous cartilage that surrounds the disks of the vertebrae breaks down. The disk consists of a gelatinous substance in the center. In addition, the gelatinous substance is forced towards the outside, which puts pressure on a spinal nerve. As a result, people feel tremendous pain.
- Diabetes or alcoholism causes Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy and neuropathy. Numbness or tingling in a single nerve is a common symptom.
- Sciatic nerve problems occur when a bulge or rupture in the spinal disk presses against the roots of the sciatic nerve. Therefore, the patient often experiences pain, tingling, or numbness.
There Are Other Diseases Which Affect The Nerves Like
- Kidney failure causing nerve effects of uremia
- Any traumatic injury caused to a nerve
- Diphtheria
- Brachial plexopathy
- Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy
- Distal median nerve dysfunction
- Femoral nerve dysfunction
- Friedreich’s ataxia
- General paresis
- Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
- Mononeuritis multiplex
- Primary amyloid
- Radial nerve dysfunction
- Secondary systemic amyloid
- Sensorimotor polyneuropathy
- Tibial nerve dysfunction
- Ulnar nerve dysfunction
The abnormal results from the recordings suggest that there is damage or an injury to the nerves, including :
- Demyelination is a condition where there is damage to the myelin sheath.
- A conduction block is a blockage in the nerve path
- Axonopathy is where there is a destruction of the nerve axon.
Nerve Conduction Velocity Test At Home- The Procedure
During the test, the patch-like electrodes arouse the nerves. At the same time, one electrode creates a spark in the nerves with a very mild electrical impulse, and the other records the electrical activity. In addition, one calculates the nerve conduction velocity test from the distance between the electrodes and the time taken by the electrical impulses to travel between electrodes. In addition, the person undergoing the test should have an average body temperature. Low body temperature slows down the nerve conduction test. Moreover, the Neurologists repeat the same process for each nerve.
The nerves transmit the velocity or the rate of the electric impulses and the examiner calculates this through the projected images of the impulses on an oscilloscope or a computer screen.
If a velocity is much slower than average, it means there is damage to the myelin sheath.
If the nerve’s response to stimulation decreases with an average conduction speed, it implies damage to the nerve axon.
In addition, the doctor performs an electromyography or EMG test. EMG measures the electrical activity in the muscles. Both NCV and EMG assist in finding out the presence, location, and severity of the nerve diseases causing harm to the nerves and the associated muscles.
Risk Associated :
Nerve conduction studies are crucial in determining diseases related to the body’s nerves. The NCV test at home is non-invasive, but some might experience pain due to the electrical shocks given to the body. Moreover, there is usually a low amount of electrical current, which does not cause any harm.
The nerve conduction velocity test involves electromyography. Here the examiner inserts tiny needles into the muscles. The patient may get sore at the site of pricking.
What Is The Procedure Of An NCV At Home?
A neurologist or an experienced radiologist specializing in brain and nerve disorders performs the NCV test.
Few Notable Steps:
- The person must remove any jewellery, hairpins, hearing aids, or metal objects.
- You have to wear loose-fitting clothes.
- The person has to sit or lie down.
- The examiner locates the pain-causing damaged nerves in the affected area so that the test finds the accurate cause.
- He then attaches the electrodes to the skin over the nerve by applying a paste. The examiner also attaches other stimulating electrodes at a distance to record the activity.
- He then administers a mild electrical shock to arouse the nerve.
- Minor discomfort during the procedure is normal. It won’t last long.
- An oscilloscope (a monitor which shows the electrical activity in the form of waves) displays the whole process, i.e. the nerve stimulation and the response.
Recovery :
Nerve damage treatment is uncertain and a time-consuming process. A person’s age plays an essential factor in the treatment. A nerve damaged at a very young age will heal differently than those affected in later life. The length and severity of an injury are deciding factors too. Sustained trauma may produce long-term or irreversible nerve damage, while shorter exposure to the same injury may be quickly healed with rest.
Star Imaging Home Healthcare Pvt. Ltd provides NCV tests at home; this facility is available to all who have elderly persons suffering from severe pain or numbness. Our center provides all the diagnostic services at reasonable rates. Search for an “NCV test near me” to find out the nearest location. Give a call to the care executives for an early booking of NCV tests.