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(718) 998-9899© 2025 Neuro Injury Specialists
We accept most insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, checks, cash, credit cards, and Care Credit Financing.
(718) 998-9899© 2025 Neuro Injury Specialists
Table of contents
A nerve conduction test (NCV) is a diagnostic testing method used to assess the extent of your nerve damage. You may be asked to take the NCV test when there is suspicion of nerve damage caused by neuropathy. Nerve conduction testing is vital because many nerve pain conditions are irreversible, especially serious cases of diabetic neuropathy. The earlier your symptoms and conditions are diagnosed, the better.
About 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy, with experts saying the number could be much higher since many neuropathy conditions go undiagnosed. In the NY and NJ area, Drs. Mark Cohen, Dmitriy Dvoskin and Leon Reyfman at Neuro Injury Specialists provide exceptional diagnosis and of pain management treatments for conditions ranging from headaches to postherpetic neuralgia.
Unless you’ve been involved in a work injury or had a slip and fall accident that resulted in specific nerve damage, you may not connect what’s happening to your body as a problem with your nerves. Since nerve pain often develops slowly, sometimes taking years, you only realize that something isn’t quite right later in life.
Depending on the area where the damage is, you could experience vertigo and dizziness chronic migraines and sciatica. You may even suffer from gastrointestinal problems or sweat excessively, all due to a problematic nerve.
The nerve conduction testing root out whether your nerve damage is the result of metabolic, systemic or toxic causes often stemming from underlying medical conditions such as:
If your hands or legs have suddenly become weak or you’re experiencing facial pain, it could be due to nerve damage. You may also feel burning, tingling or prickling sensation and numbness in the affected area.
To provide you with the most accurate diagnosis, in addition to the nerve conduction testing, your neurologist may also conduct a:
Your nerves run the relay station in your body, sending messages back and forth to the brain through a system of electrical impulses. When any of the inner components of the nerve are damaged, there’s a short circuit of sorts within the electrical relay system. It’s this disconnection that’s measured through the NCV testing.
Your affected nerve is stimulated using an electrode while another captures the speed and distance at which the electrical impulse travels through the nerve. The exact extent of the nerve damage depends on how far the electrical impulse went and at what speed. In healthy nerves, the speed is calculated at 120 miles per hour.
The extent of your nerve damage also may be detected with additional tests used for the diagnosis such as:
While the nerve conduction test measures your nerves, the procedure is entirely non-invasive. There are no needles involved. You only feel prick-like sensations due to the electrical charges.
The procedure, in general, is safe. But if you have a pacemaker, spinal cord stimulator (SCS) or any similar implanted medical electrical device, inform your doctor beforehand. The procedure usually takes 15 to 30 minutes but could take longer if you have extensive nerve damage.
The different components of the test include:
There is no downtime needed after the nerve conduction testing. The results usually take anywhere from 24 hours to a week, depending on how much information needs to be assessed.
Only after a thorough analysis is it possible to get the right course of treatment, which could include:
There are more than 100 different types of nerve damage, making the diagnosis process tedious. At Neuro Injury Specialists, the focus is always on getting the right diagnosis as this helps personalize your treatment. With tests like the NCV test near me in New York or New Jersey, your team of doctors can pinpoint exactly the main reason behind your symptoms. Contact them today to prevent permanent nerve damage.
