Patient Information

Our contact details:

Neurospark Ltd.

Phone Number: 07529 901272

website https://www.neurospark.co.uk

email secretary@neurospark.co.uk

Medical secretary: Alexandra Gellert

Location

Consultations and tests are provided at The Life Academy in Morningside, Edinburgh. We typically offer appointment slots on a Sunday morning as most patients seem to find this easiest for getting here and parking.

Getting Referred

We accept referrals for tests from clinicians via a private referral letter. Your GP or Consultant should be able to do this for you.

What to Expect on the Day

Please arrive 10-15 minutes in advance of your appointment as you will be required to fill out a form and we may need to do some preparation for the test e.g. warming your hands or feet for the test.

Car parking is available in the Life Academy car park bay 1. Alternatively, on street parking is free on a Sunday.

The Life Academy Wellbeing Centre is situated at 3B Greenhill Park, Edinburgh, EH10 4DW. As you walk in through the gated main entrance, please turn to your right, where you will see the sign for the Centre on the red brick wall and another small gate that leads you to the Centre’s entrance. Go around the back to the Centre’s green door, where you will see four separate doorbells.

Please ring door bell number 1 only as other clinicians / therapists may be using the centre also in the other rooms.

You will be taken into the reception room where we will ask you to complete any remaining paperwork and we may require you to warm your hands / feet with hot water or a heat pack.

Patients are routinely advised to remove jewellery, watches etc. Please bear this in mind, and come wearing loose clothing that can be easily rolled up above the elbows and knees.

We use stick on electrodes to record the electrical signals from your nerves, they do not work well with creams and lotions so please wash this off before your test.

If you get lost / are running late / need to cancel last minute please call us on 07529 901272

The Test

The person performing the test will normally ask you some questions and explain the test to be performed. Often, a brief clinical examination will also be performed.

The nerve conduction study (NCS) is a test for your peripheral nerves. It involves us applying stickers to your skin through which we can record the response to electric stimuli we administer via a probe. The stimuli feel like static electricity shocks, similar to ones you may have experienced before off a seatbelt or jumper. The stimuli can be uncomfortable for some patients and we ask that you tell us if you are finding the test painful, so that we can give you a rest or stop.

Generally speaking the test takes somewhere between several minutes up to an hour depending on the referral question asked and the complexity of the test.

During the same visit it may be necessary to perform electromyography (EMG). This is a test of your muscles. This involves inserting a very thin wire into the muscles and we record electrical signals generated by your muscles. No shocks are involved. Each muscle tested is assessed first during complete rest and then during contraction. Some patients can find this procedure uncomfortable and tell us if you wish to take a break or feel unwell.

Both tests (NCS and EMG) are performed on the same machine.

A video showing a demonstration of the nerve conduction study and EMG test can be found here:

NHSGGC – What to expect from nerve conduction studies / EMG

Following the test

You will be free to leave the department, the test will be interpreted and a report will be typed up and sent as soon as possible to your referrer.