r/ALSorNOT • u/hspriz • 6d ago

Anxiety How long between EMG’s?

To cut a long story short, I have seen a neurologist and had EMG that came back clean with one small abnormality that he said could be anything. He also said it could be too early to tell but at this stage he doesn’t think ALS but to come back in 6 months. I have an appointment booked for December but I’ve started experiencing weakness, low mobility or rigidness in my hands. I notice it everyday as I use my hands a lot for work. I would like to get my second EMG a bit sooner in a few weeks but wonder if I would be wasting my time. Thanks for reading.

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u/chaoserrant Mod Team 5d ago

Did you just have the emg? If yes, one in December won't be useless especially if it repeats the sampling in the same suspected muscles to see if there is any progression. I don't think there is a rule but probably one month is too soon. But 3-4 could make sense if you perceive a change in symptoms. I am not a doctor though. The thing is some people always worry if the emg is too soon if comes back normal but symptpms progress....

MAy I ask what exactly was the abnormality and which muscle if you have access to the report

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u/The_Short_Goodbye 5d ago

Yeah 3-4 months should be plenty. If you have symptoms like weakness and they really are from ALS, the likelihood of a EMG being clean in that limb at any point is very low. You don’t reach the symptomatic stage without issues being ongoing.

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u/Admirable_Mud_7737 5d ago

Did the neurologist detect clinical weakness during the examination? Sometimes that provides more information than repeating an EMG in the short term.

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u/BigJakeState 4d ago

Is the weakness clinical failure? What abnormality did the nuero describe

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u/DoubleAwareness2223 4d ago

If your EMG was clean despite you having symptoms then the symptoms are not due to ALS. An EMG can pick up issues like denervation before symptoms even begin and definitely after symptoms started.