electromyography (emg) and ci's

Hear Again

Hear Again

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hi everyone,

i'm scheduled to have an emg (electromyography) conducted next wednesday. i e-mailed my audi to ask if this would have any impact on my ci's and whether or not i should have this done in the first place, but i haven't heard back from her. this may seem like a strange request, but i was wondering if any of you could contact your own audi and/or ci surgeon to ask if emg's can be done on those who have bilateral ci's. i'm getting kind of desperate for an answer because my appointment is in several days. i don't know if my audi is on vacation. she normally is very good about answering her e-mails, but it's been 2 days since i've heard anything. i'd appreciate any help you can provide. thanks!
 
Um, I am not sure but have you checked the do and don'ts on cochlear site, or in fact give them a call??

I am going to look at my list...
 
exract from National cochlear implant users group. Does this help? i will find the actual leaflet that came with the cochlear box.

Treatments that must NEVER be carried out on people with cochlear implants

1. Electro surgery
Monopolar electrosurgical instruments must never be used in the head and neck region. Bipolar electrosurgical instruments must never be used within 2cm of the implant. Note that this includes dental surgery.

2. Therapeutic diathermy
Therapeutic diathermy is an optional treatment for purposes such as pain relief, reducing joint contractures, reducing pain and swelling after surgery, and promoting wound healing.

There is potentially a very serious risk to health for implant users from short wave diathermy and microwave diathermy and these should NEVER be used.

Note that these treatments are used by a variety of professionals, including physiotherapists, nurses, chiropractors, dentists and sports therapists. They may refer to it as ‘deep heat’ or similar.
Ultrasound diathermy is acceptable below the head and neck.

3. Neurostimulation
Neurostimulation must not be used directly over the cochlear implant as it could lead to damage to the cochlea tissue or to the implant.
4. Electro-convulsive therapy
Electro-convulsive therapy must never be used on a cochlear implant patient.
6. Use of electrical and electronic medical devices
Devices which cause electric current to flow through the head and / or neck should never be used. If you are considering using equipment that could involve electrical current passing through other parts of the body, you should check with your cochlear implant centre first.
 
overthepond said:
exract from National cochlear implant users group. Does this help? i will find the actual leaflet that came with the cochlear box.

Treatments that must NEVER be carried out on people with cochlear implants

1. Electro surgery
Monopolar electrosurgical instruments must never be used in the head and neck region. Bipolar electrosurgical instruments must never be used within 2cm of the implant. Note that this includes dental surgery.

2. Therapeutic diathermy
Therapeutic diathermy is an optional treatment for purposes such as pain relief, reducing joint contractures, reducing pain and swelling after surgery, and promoting wound healing.

There is potentially a very serious risk to health for implant users from short wave diathermy and microwave diathermy and these should NEVER be used.

Note that these treatments are used by a variety of professionals, including physiotherapists, nurses, chiropractors, dentists and sports therapists. They may refer to it as ‘deep heat’ or similar.
Ultrasound diathermy is acceptable below the head and neck.

3. Neurostimulation
Neurostimulation must not be used directly over the cochlear implant as it could lead to damage to the cochlea tissue or to the implant.
4. Electro-convulsive therapy
Electro-convulsive therapy must never be used on a cochlear implant patient.
6. Use of electrical and electronic medical devices
Devices which cause electric current to flow through the head and / or neck should never be used. If you are considering using equipment that could involve electrical current passing through other parts of the body, you should check with your cochlear implant centre first.
Click to expand...

hmmm. none of those things sound similar to an emg. the emg will be performed on my left and right hand, so nowhere near my head or neck.
 
overthepond said:
is it for your CTS?
Click to expand...

yes. my physical therapist says i have severe cts in my left hand and mild cts in my right hand. my doctor ordered the emg to determine the extent of nerve damage in both hands so we can proceed with cts surgery.
 
overthepond said:
Um, I am not sure but have you checked the do and don'ts on cochlear site, or in fact give them a call??

I am going to look at my list...
Click to expand...

giving cochlear a call is a good idea, but i think i'm going to send them an
e-mail instead so i can make sure i completely understand the information they give me. thanks, charlotte.
 
I perform EMGs as part of my specialty. The level of electrical current used, especially for carpal tunnel syndrome, will never reach your CIs and will have absolutely no effect. The electrical current used is similar to a static shock you get in the winter/dry weather. We do EMGs on people with pacemakers, vagal nerve stimulators, and a variety of implanted electrical devices with no ill effects.

No worries, HearAgain.
 
DeafDoc1 said:
I perform EMGs as part of my specialty. The level of electrical current used, especially for carpal tunnel syndrome, will never reach your CIs and will have absolutely no effect. The electrical current used is similar to a static shock you get in the winter/dry weather. We do EMGs on people with pacemakers, vagal nerve stimulators, and a variety of implanted electrical devices with no ill effects.

No worries, HearAgain.
Click to expand...

:ty: doc. that's exactly what i needed to know.

by the way, i just received an e-mail from my audi who called cochlear. they told her the emg should pose no problem as long as it is 1 cm away from my implants.

now if i could just drum up the courage to actually have the emg... :Ohno:
 
off-topic...

doc,

my doctor told me that if i experienced pain having acupuncture on my left wrist (which i did), she said the emg will hurt even worse. is that true?
 
Hear Again, that is really unusual that an acupuncturist would treat your CTS at the wrist site. In acupunture, you almost never treat the problem on-site. Usually they use points in other parts of the body. I'm sorry your acupuncturist caused you pain by placing needles in your wrist. You might consider trying another acupuncturist.
 
Nika said:
Hear Again, that is really unusual that an acupuncturist would treat your CTS at the wrist site. In acupunture, you almost never treat the problem on-site. Usually they use points in other parts of the body. I'm sorry your acupuncturist caused you pain by placing needles in your wrist. You might consider trying another acupuncturist.
Click to expand...

the acupuncturist placed needles all over my wrist and it hurt like h*ll. he told me it wouldn't hurt, but it did. keep in mind though that this was back in the mid 90s when i wasn't yet diagnosed with cts. at the time, my neurologist was simply treating me for wrist pain and nothing else. i also had 2 cortizone shots that were unsuccessful.
 
i need to make a huge correction for anyone reading this who may have an emg. cochlear told me that an emg for my cts was safe as long as it was performed MORE THAN 1 cm away from my ci's.
 
hi again everyone,

i just wanted to thank you all for your comments and suggestions. i really appreciate it!
 
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