Light Touch Sensory Testing

Question 1

What are you measuring and why?

Answer 1

damage to the nerve pathway which joins the meissenrs corpuscle to the spinal cord, that damage will occur in the peripheal nervous sytstem, so focus light touch on dermatomes or peripheal nerves.

lesion or damage to the somatosensory cortex then you can perform the sensory assessment on corresponding area that’s mapped in the somatosensory map.

Question 2

What are the principles used in carrying out the technique?

Answer 2

CNS (global areas w/ reduced sensation) or PNS (dermatome from damage to spinal root nerve, more specific-map the area)

Make sure the cotton wool is tufted, test on the sternum to show what is feels like.

Patients eyes closed during treatment.

Compare right to left, proximal to distal, in a circumferential manner.

record sensation is normal, impaired (compare right to left and how does it feel different) or absent.

Question 3

How to tell whether the measurement is normal?

Answer 3

comparing one side to the other to notice any differences in the feeling.

The absence of anything means that it is not normal either.

Question 4

What structures/processes are being assessed?

Answer 4

meissners corpuscle detect stimulation, then transferred along afferent nerves through spinal tracts to thalumus.

somatosensory cortex.

Question 5

precautions and contraindications?

Answer 5

open wounds

skin allergies to the cotton wool

Question 6

Procedure?

Answer 6

patient top off

go right to left down the body with the pt saying yes if they can feel it

test on sternum

pt closes eyes

work circumferentially around upper limbs first and then lower limbs.

make sure to ask the pt if it all feels normal and there is no difference between the two.

do the front of the legs first and then the back of the legs after, tell them to let you know if anything feels unusual.

Question 7

Learn dermatome map

Answer 7

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Found on LC

Question 8

Learn peripheral nerve map

Answer 8

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Found on LC