I had an EMG at Johns Hopkins Hospital--which is to be the best hospital in the USA. I was being tested for Post Polio Syndrome. It was the most excruciatingly painful thing I can ever remember being done to me. I actually cried all the way home (2 hours drive)

The neurologist who did the test said the results were inconclusive but the Type one muscle fibers seemed a little less than normal, but still ok, but the Type two were definitly lacking in power. I thought that was a criteria for PPS, however he said not. He sent me to a surgeon who did a muscle biopsy and I think the same results were there. The doc then told me that there was something definitely wrong with me, but he didn't have a clue what it was. Now how is that for Johns Hopkins?

At the time, I couldn't even raise my arms off my body, couldn't turn in bed, couldn't walk without a cane, and was in pain all the time. Another thing he said was that PPS doesn't hurt! I ask him why all the people on the PPS e-mail list said that pain management was their main concern and he looked at me like I was nuts.

I did have polio when I was a child, about 50 years ago. I know it takes 30 to 50 years for those damaged nerves to start to show the wear and tear from overuse because they have to do the work of the ones killed off by the polio. I have really researched this and sometimes I think I know more than some of the doctors. They think that polio is a dead disease, so they don't want to treat the people with the after-effects.

I can say that since I've had a knee replacement and been going to the gym, the muscles seem to be coming back.

But back to your EMG-- this is something that I would never want to experience again in my life!!!!! The muscle biopsy was also just as excruciating because he did it under a local anesthetic and it was fine until he acutally got to the muscle. Then it was the worst charlie-horse you can ever imagine. My BP went all the way up to 204. I thought I would have a heart attack right there on the operating table.

I realize this is a very long post. I'm sorry for that. I guess I just wanted to vent on this since you were suggesting that an EMG could be used to help determine what type of exercise one should do.

Artsy,

I am sorry to hear of all of the pain that you experienced and are experiencing. I know I was crying during therapy for my knee when I dislocated it, so I figure you are going through something about 20x worse.

But, in my post I never stated that people should get EMG'd to see what exercises are best for them. I simply relay info that I get as results from studies that use EMG as the determining factor as to which types/how many fibers are being recruited in a paticular exercise.

There seems to be test subjects who do thie willingly, or else they are highly paid. I say we just let the scientists and "guinea pigs" go through the hassel of EMG and we can just wait for them to publish the results.

Thanks for your input Artsy!

Let those guina pigs do the EMGs. I don't ever want another one! If fact the experience was so bad, I don't ever want to see John's Hopkins again either!