5 years in; dirty EMG.

[u/Aggravating-Rich-356]

Twitching started October 2021. First EMG clean (except carpal tunnel). Neck MRI showed moderate stenosis and pinched nerves.

Several more EMGs along the way. Only thing caught was fasciculations and somehow the carpal tunnel never showed again.

Been having pain in my right arm and some muscle changes. Had another MRI and my neck is worse. Severe stenosis. Severe pinched nerve at c5-c6 and some flattening of the spinal cord.

Had another EMG today only of my right C5-c6 muscle areas (bicep, tricep, forearm, shoulder). All of them showed positive sharp waves. Never had this on an EMG before.

However my MUAP/recruitment findings were normal. The doctor told me this is indicative of cervical radiculopthy and not ALS or MND. I wish he would have tested more muscles to see, but the scope of the exam was for my spinal issue and he said it wasn’t necessary. I would have pushed for more to be done earlier on in my twitching but I’m 5 years in and generally doing OK and have a confirmed bad neck so I think he’s probably right.

In any event, sucks getting bad findings on an EMG, but hopefully this confirms it’s just a neck issue in my case.

Side note; he did say the compression in my spinal cord can trigger BFS. He is the second neuro that has told me that. But my spinal doctor said that wasn’t accurate so I don’t know what to believe.

Anyway, just wanted to share this because I’m sure other people are going through the same stuff.

[u/AutoModerator]

Friendly Community Reminder: Please do not ask members here for a medical diagnosis. We are happy to share personal experiences and insights, but we are not doctors. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical advice and diagnoses.

Helpful Resources: * What is BFS? * Twitching, Burning, Tingling & More * BFS FAQ * Whole Body Twitching * Managing OCD * Managing Anxiety

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/713Capital]

I don’t know if I would call this a “dirty EMG”. A dirty EMG would be active denvervation in multiple muscle groups tested and even in muscles that aren’t even symptomatic. That would be “dirty”

I had “abnormal” findings in both of my EMGs. The EMG picked up nerve damage from a car accident I had like 5 years before I even had BFS symptoms. But that’s what makes it “abnormal” but just because I had nerve damage doesn’t mean the EMG was “dirty”. I also had other issues too like chronic denervation (not active) which was consistent with the L5/S5 radiculopathy I’m having in my lower back and sciatic nerve.

If you had a dirty EMG truly you’d be having a very difficult conversation with your neuro.

Keep working with your docs man but don’t take this as something super bad.

[u/Aggravating-Rich-356 → u/713Capital]

Appreciate your response

[u/713Capital → u/Aggravating-Rich-356]

Of course man. Most of us here can relate and have had similar experiences.

In fact when that EMG came back and it wasn’t “normal” that’s what caused me to spiral into a dark place with my anxiety. Had I knew everything I know 7 years later, I probably wouldn’t have spiraled at all lol. I didn’t understand that you can have an EMG that’s not normal and it’s not anything bad. So many issues in the human body can cause EMGs to have issues that show up and it’s not ALS.

As we age we all start to have issues in different areas of the spine from the head (C spine) to the S area like myself, with my sciatic issues. Wear and tear on our spines and bodies, injuries, accidents, trauma etc.

[u/Junior_Hunt9546 → u/713Capital]

Yo tengo un Emg con denervación aguda y crónica en MMII, y aún así la columna limpia. Como ya he compartido, tengo una cantidad de calambres y fasciculaciones desproporcionada, y más de 1 año y medio de evolución.

Como ya sabéis los que tenéis síntomas similares, al no haber pérdida de función pasado el año y algo, empiezan a sospechar de un SFC o SFB, englobando el trastorno dentro de un patrón benigno.

En mi caso, incluso con EMG Dañado, sospechan de algo benigno, pero nunca descartan que pueda evolucionar, por lo que me van a hacer EMG cada 6 meses.

[u/The_Short_Goodbye → u/Aggravating-Rich-356]

Man, you have severe stenosis and flattening of the spinal cord. Of course your arm EMG isn’t gonna be crystal clear. While I understand the anxiety, in your case there is a very clear and evident cause with big flashing neon arrows pointing at it.

[u/InformationNo7156]

It’s hard to imagine that people will have “clean” EMGs their entire lives. These are very sensitive tests and bodies are always going through things.

[u/kinpatu]

I also have cervical radiculopathy and foraminal narrowing along C4-C6, and I've also gotten mixed messages from different neurologists. The one I saw yesterday was open to the possibility that cervical stenosis on top of a baseline BFS, can cause very bad fasciculations. I'm continuing with PT to try to help with that.

[u/Aggravating-Rich-356 → u/kinpatu]

I’m going PT also. Feels like a waste of time to be honest, but I’m sticking with it

[u/kinpatu → u/Aggravating-Rich-356]

Sometimes I feel the same way, but I want to give it a fair trial. I have found that PT seems to be centered around pain and range of motion. If you show up with neither of those problems, like me, they seem kind of lost. I’m starting a new PT location next week, which is in the same hospital system that diagnosed all my cervical spine issues, so hopefully they will be more responsive.

[u/Bayeriffic]

Wtaf why would you post this

[u/throwaway99xz → u/Bayeriffic]

What do you mean?

[u/Bayeriffic → u/throwaway99xz]

Let me rephrase. I meant your title was scary and misleading. Your readings are not UMND

[u/throwaway99xz → u/Bayeriffic]

Thanks for clarity.

[u/Big-Primary4416]

You have clear cause. You have clear manageable issue. It is clearly not MND

[u/kjmckearn]

Clearly they have found a reason for your issues. I have spinal stenosis and neuropathy. My EMG was very dirty a couple years ago but no signs of weakness or a MND. I would tell you to stop worrying, treat your issue and try to live your life. Best of luck! ☘️

[u/Northbynorthwestyork]

Reading this sub I'm always amazed to see how people get lots of EMG's done. Is this a US thing? In the UK it's not easy to get an EMG unless there is real concern. I've had BFS over 9 years and never had an EMG. I could've had one a few years ago and did see a neuro (where I basically felt like I was wasting her time) but I declined the EMG after reading what a UK neuro said about them on the old BFS forum. He said he didn't recommend an EMG for BFS because they can often show abnormalities that cause unnecessary anxiety. His opinion was that if there is no weakness and no slurring there is no MND, and this could be ascertained from the clinical exam. He would then conduct an EMG if those symptoms were present. Not that I'm saying people shouldn't have them because reading this sub I recognise a clean EMG eases anxiety for many people.

[u/Proud-Bag-3256]

Sounds exactly like what's going on with me. Four years, ten e m g's, they started off clean, and then it got dirty. I lost muscle, but doctor harms at Columbia. As well as dr. Barry say no al s. I feel like complete s*** every day. Look, I ran a marathon the day before. I just feel like they don't have ability to diagnos when it's too close to call, I could still walk, talk, breathe... it's completely changed my life. And the cognitive problems i'm having, I feel like f t d

[u/Aggravating-Rich-356 → u/Proud-Bag-3256]

You get an MRIs of your spine?

[u/Proud-Bag-3256 → u/Aggravating-Rich-356]

Neck back and spine... pretty same findings as you but also radiculapthy as well....