Pain levels of examined muscles and gender differences in pain during electromyography

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pain level of each muscle during an EMG study and also search for any association between the pain levels and gender. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-seven subjects (166 females and 111 males) participated in the present study. Numeric analogue scale (NAS) was obtained from the patients after needle EMG for each muscle. Results: In total, 1242 muscles were examined. The highest pain levels among examined muscles were found on Abductor Pollicis Brevis (APB) (5.8±2.6), First Dorsal Interosseous (4.2±2.6) and Vastus Lateralis (4.0±2.6). NAS levels of the female patients (4.3±2.7) were apparently higher than those of the male patients (2.8±2.3) (p<0.01). Conclusion: First Dorsal Interosseous muscle was found less painful than APB muscle for the patients. Our study displayed greater pain sensitivity among females compared with males during the needle EMG; however, the pain levels of examined muscles were not higher than moderate for both genders.