Today, 22nd
January 2020 was my scheduled follow-up visit to the neurologist at Apollo
hospital after the first one on 6th January 2020.
Although my
condition of the sensation in the toe region has marginally improved with
medication and Yoga, I am unable to state which one had a more pronounced
effect, at this time. I reported this to the neurologist and he immediately suggested
that I proceed for an NCV Test. It stands for Nerve Conduction Velocity test. This
test is used to assess nerve damage and dysfunction. Also known as a nerve
conduction study, the procedure measures how quickly electrical signals move
through our peripheral nerves. I also understood from the technician that NCV
can determine nerve damage and or destruction.
It is a 45 minutes
shocking (pun intended) procedure. During the test, the nerve is stimulated,
usually with surface electrode patches attached to the skin. Two electrodes are
placed on the skin over the nerve. One electrode stimulates the nerve with a
very mild electrical impulse and the other electrode records it. When I asked
the neurologist for some additional details about the process, he dismissed it
simply stating that a mild electrical impulse is given at various points. Not
having heard about it before, I went in bravely to the EEG department which has
a separate enclosure at Apollo to get this test done. To my surprise there was
not a single patient in ‘Q’ – a hospital where every faculty has loads of
people standing in a row for getting themselves tested, it did strike odd to
me, but then I dismissed it as perhaps my luck that I did not have to wait in a
‘Q’.
It struck me
only midway during the test about the absence of any patients in this unit. You
don’t pay to be given shocks…as such we get enough from all quarters daily! Believe
me, they aren’t mild! The technician started the test with my left hand and
gave the shock impulses at various positions. To divert my mind from the
shocking impulses, I started mentally counting the number of times the
technician was administering. It turned out to be 50, ranging from a mild one,
which just tickled the nerve to a strong one which made my arm lift up
involuntarily and settle back with a thud. On the left foot however, the number
was less at 25, but the intensity range of the shocks were identical. I heaved
a sigh of relief when she said it was done and as I got up to step down and
walk out, she said, Sir only 50% has been completed. It’s time to commence on
your right side. Quite reluctantly I went back to the flat bed and summoned enough
courage to receive the shocks once again. But now that I was familiar with the procedure,
I started looking forward to the shocks and in my mind I started comparing
which was worse, the left side or the right side…The count was identical and the
intensity identical, but, I felt that the right side was less shocking! The
games a mind can play!
By the time the
experiment on me was completed, I had been given close to 150 shocks…my quota
of a lifetime, I thought to myself and swore that I would not subject myself to
this test ever again.
No wonder people
never willingly accept to take this test and it explained why the count was
zero at the waiting ‘Q’.
It may be useful
to explain a few terms/terminology to help understand a little about this
problem. All of us have heard of Sciatica nerve problem and pain. Sciatica is a
condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve running in
the human body. The sciatic nerve extends from the lower back and down both
sides of the hips, buttocks, legs and feet. Sciatic nerve pain is related to herniated
discs in the low back and low spine. When discs in the lower spine and back
slip out of position or bulge, the rubber cushions or discs stop acting as an
expansion joint (in engineering parlance), and the nearby nerves can cause irritation, pain,
weakness and numbness in legs and feet (lumbar) and arms and neck (cervical).
An NCV test can
help diagnose compression or damage in the sciatic nerve and it can also detect
any problem in the nerve itself. The peripheral nerves are responsible for
sending information from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body and
vice versa. When these peripheral nerves are damaged, people may feel weakness,
numbness and pain in their hands and feet. Most of the time the symptoms can improve
with treatment, especially if caused by underlying conditions such as vitamin
deficiency, diabetes, other autoimmune deficiency or simply a bulge (inflammation)
around the discs.
While medication
can be very helpful when the sciatic nerve pain is on account of inflammation
of the herniated discs, it is Yoga and its finely controlled stretches alongside
breathing technique that will restore the gap between the discs and release the
pressure on the nerves. The best part is, once the pressure is released, the
nerve ends can become active and re-establish connections with the brain.
Incidentally, this
is the only department within EEG Cell of a hospital where the technician doesn’t
offer any interpretation of the test results – the neurologist has to write
them down after scanning through the report. When I went finally back to the
neurologist armed with the reports, he said everything was normal, considering
my age and with time and a daily dose of one tablet “Maxmala” I should be okay
within a month. He just acknowledged when I informed him that I had joined
Therapy Yoga to overcome my backache problem. He asked me to continue with it
to the best of my ability and not undermine the importance of a daily walk. My
cardiologist had set me a target of 10,000 steps each day, but so far I have
been able to manage an average figure of only 5,000. My efforts have to double…
Finally, Nerve
Conduction Velocity (NCV) of 50 to 60 meters per second is normal. In my case
it varied between 40 to 60 meters per second. In layman’s term, If I hurt my
small toe in either of my legs, information flow to the brain will be delayed
and corrective instruction from the brain to the toe will also be delayed…I may
not be aware that my toe hurts…
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