Article: Talk to a doctor or clinic about getting evaluated for ALS if you have symptoms and especially if you also have a family history of the disease.  Testing can take several days and require a variety of different evaluations. No single test can determine if you have ALS.  Diagnosis includes observation of some symptoms and test to rule out other diseases. Physicians will often look for the CK enzyme (Creatine Kinase), which presents in the blood after muscle damage from ALS has occurred. Blood tests can also be used to check for genetic predisposition, as certain cases of ALS can be familial. Muscle biopsies can be performed to determine if other muscular disorders are present in an attempt rule out ALS.  In this test, the doctor removes a small bit of muscle tissue to test using a needle or a small incision. The test only uses local anesthesia and does not usually require a hospital stay. The muscle may be sore for a few days. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain can help to identify other possible neurological conditions that present with similar symptoms as ALS. The test uses magnets to create a detailed picture of your brain or spine. The test involves laying very still for a period of time while the machine creates an image of your body. Physicians can extract a small amount of CSF from the spine to attempt to identify other possible conditions. CSF circulates through the brain and spinal cord and is an effective medium for identifying neurological conditions. For this test the patient usually lies on her side. The doctor injects an anesthetic to numb the lower spine area. Then a needle is inserted into the lower spine and a sample of spinal fluid is collected.The procedure only takes about 30 minutes. It can include minor pain and discomfort. Electromyogram (EMG) can be used to measure electrical signals in your muscles. This allows doctors to see if the muscle nerves are working normally. A tiny instrument is inserted into a muscle to record its electrical activity. The test may cause a feeling like a twinge or spasm and may produce minor pain or discomfort. Nerve condition studies (NCS) can be used to measure your the electrical signals in your muscles and nerves.  This test uses small electrodes placed on the skin to measure the passage of electrical signals in between. It may feel like a mild tingling feeling.If needles are used to insert electrodes there may be a small amount of pain from the needle. If your condition is harming the muscles that control breathing a repository test may be used to find out. These tests usually involve different ways to measure breathing. They are usually short and just involve breathing into different testing devices under particular conditions.

What is a summary?
Speak with a doctor. Get blood tests. Get a muscle biopsy. Get an MRI. Get cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests. Get an electromyogram. Get a nerve condition study. Get respiratory testing.