FACIAL EMG

[nancyann]

HI EVERYONE:

I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE ON THIS FORUM FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT & ENCOURAGEMENT
THROUGH THE GOOD & THE BAD TIMES.

IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME TO KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE OUT THERE CHEERING US ALL ON,
GIVING US A SHOULDER TO CRY ON,
JUST BEING HERE TO LISTEN.

NANCY

[CROOKEDSMILE]

can anyone tell me what their emg showed as their facial nerve started to recover. I know at first you have fibrillations showing denervation and then those are eventually replaced with polyphasic potentials but what does it mean when it says there are motor unit action potentials present but low amplitute? what will the emg show when the nerve and muscle movement has started to return?

[nancyann]

I don't know about all that, I never really got into the actual workings with my neurologist, but I do know that my #s did not continue to improve -
I think I stayed around 300-400, & normal is in the thousand(s).   At 1st there was a little improvement (# wise), but in the end we think it was just
the nerve from the good side of the chin trying to compensate....
So, from what I know,  when the #'s start going into the thousand(s), you're in luck (the #s should steadily increase). 
This is a very simple explanation, but it's all I know - maybe someone else can help with a more indepth answer.

[lori67]

Just a little FYI item.. a PT can do a surface EMG.  It's not as accurate as the regular one, but it does not involve sticking needles in you.  It's just little sticky things that attach to your skin over certain muscles and gives you a read out involving beeps and a graph on a computer screen to let you know what's going on electrically in there.  Then you can do biofeedback using the info on the screen and the beeps to get the muscles working.

I know some people might have an issue with insurance covering a regular EMG, but if you can get them to cover PT, they should be able to do the surface EMG for you.  I've found it helpful because I may not be able to actually feel what muscle I'm contracting, but I can see it on the read out.  It also helps psychologically to see the numbers go up from month to month.  I need that kind of encouragement!

Just thought I'd throw that out there - especially for those of you who don't do needles!! 

Lori

[Meagan]

I was instructed to not have an emg through neuro (don't ask me why) but my face retrainer does that sticky thing that you guys were talking about.  It beeps showing movement...right after surgery you would hear silence and when you hear beeps that is good....

Meagan

[CROOKEDSMILE]

I SAW MY NEURO DOCTOR WHO DIDN'T EVEN CARE TO SEE MY EMG THAT I HAD DONE AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION. HE SAID THE EMG ISN'T WHAT MATTERS. WHAT MATTERS IS SEEING FACIAL MOVEMENT. IF THIS IS THE CASE THEN WHY DO MOST DOCTORS ORDER THEM? CAN YOU HAVE A GOOD EMG AND STILL NOT RECOVER?

[nancyann]

I like the way your doc thinks Crookedsmile:  he looks at the 'clinical picture' & doesn't rely on lab data exclusively.   Neurologists are smart thinkers that way.   The lab results can verify what he finds clinically.    I did have routine EMGs, mainly because they were doing them as a pre-op to the nerve grafting, which, in the end, I decided against anyway.

Always good thoughts,  Nancy