Sandhills Neurodiagnos-tic Center has received laboratory accreditation status from the American Association of Neuromus-cular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM).

Dr. Henry Tellez, certified by the American Board of Neuromuscular Medicine (ABNM) and fellowship trained in nerve conduction/EMG studies, is the laboratory's medical director.

"I am excited at this news that we are the first and only neurodiagnostic testing facility in Moore County to receive AANEM laboratory accreditation status and the second in the state of North Carolina," Tellez said. "This accreditation affirms our status as the leading provider of EMG and nerve conduction studies."

Performed in-house, the first part of the test, nerve conduction study (NCS), is usually done by a certified technician under a doctor's supervision. The second part (almost always an integral part of the test), electromyography (EMG), is performed exclusively by the physician.

The electrodiagnostic testing checks the integrity and function of a patient's nerves and muscles. A NCS/EMG is performed to find damage to the peripheral nervous system, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome, neuropathy, cervical radiculopathy and sciatica as well as help identify disorders such as myopathy, muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and others, where numbness, tingling, weakness, cramps and pain are common symptoms.

For the NCS portion of the test, small electrical stimulation is used to stimulate the nerve and measure nerve function. For the EMG portion, a small needle (slightly larger than an acupuncture needle) is inserted in the muscles in order to record the muscle's electrical activity.

"It's like taking your car to the mechanic and having the circuits checked for issues with the electrical system," Tellez said.