Neuromuscular System Flashcards
Somatosensory Function
Feel or sense things on or within the body.
Perception of light touch, temperature, pain, vibration, joint position, or discriminative sensation.
Examples of disease processes of the Somatosensory Function
Diabetes Mellitus Multiple Sclerosis Guillain-Barre Syndrome Hansen's disease Lyme Disease Alcoholic Neuropathy
Somatosensory Assessment Procedures and General Guidelines
Explain the purpose Demonstrate on an unaffected area Don't test over clothing Compare right to the left and distal to proximal area Avoid areas of calloused skin Vary your patterns and pace If somatosensory loss is present, map distinct boundaries Document findings
Sharp/Dull Test
Spinal tract: spinothalamic
Equipment: Safety pin, paper clip, or cotton-tipped stick
Perform a trial (sharp/dull)
Unilateral, then compare with similar area
Bilateral, test one limb then the other
Begin distally
Map the boundaries
Temperature Test
Spinal tract: spinothalamic Equipment: 2 test tubes (no more than 113 for the hot) Perform a trial (hot/cold) Unilateral, then compare with similar area Bilateral, test one limb then the other Begin Distally Map the boundaries Avoid repeated pattern
Light Touch Test
Spinal tract: posterior columns (spinothalamic for crude touch) Equipment: cotton, gauze, or none! Perform a trial Unilateral, then test at the same time Bilateral, test one then the other Begin distally Map the boundaries
Vibration Test
Spinal tract: posterior columns
Equipment: 128 Hz Tuning fork
Perform a test (vibratory sense)
Begin distally, if normal stop!
Joint Position Test
Spinal tract: posterior columns Equipment: none Perform a trial (up/down) Hold the sides of a distal segment Don't touch adjacent digits Begin distally. If normal, stop!
Discriminative Sensation Tests
Spinal tract: posterior columns (cerebral cortex)
Requires Integration, analysis, interpretation of touch and position sense in sensory cortex
Demonstrate first! Start with unaffected
Stereognosis
Ability to sense and identify objects in hand
Astereognosis
Inability to identify object in hand
Graphesthesia
Ability to sense and identify numbers or letters drawn in hand
Agraphesthesia
Inability to sense and identify numbers or letters drawn in hand
How to perform the Two-Point Discrimination Test
Patient to close eyes Touch finger pad w/ 2 points Patient indicates 1 or 2 Alternate between 1 and 2 points 5 mm distance normally felt 2 points Normal distance varies by area.
How to perform Point Localization Test
Patient to close eyes
Touch an area of pt’s skin
Patient to open eyes and point to the place
Several trials to different areas
Protective Sensation
Spinal tract: Spinothalamic and posterior columns
Equipment: 5.07 (10 gm) monofilament)
Minimum force you can take before you feel the light touch
Assess all 9 areas
What are dermatomes and how do you test them?
Assesses sensory component of a nerve root
Area of skin supplied by a single nerve
Light finger touch
Limit testing to region of least overlap
Test levels above, at and below level of suspected damage
What are myotomes and how do you test them?
Assesses motor component of a nerve root
Group of muscles supplied by a single nerve root.
Muscles may be supplied by multiple nerve roots
Tested using isometric break test
Test levels above, at and below
What are deep tendon reflexes and how/why do you test them?
Assesses integrity of nerve pathway in the peripheral and central nervous system.
Monosynaptic reflex: afferent sensory to efferent motor
Quick stretch activates muscle spindles
Injury along any part of the pathway can lead to an abnormal muscular response to the stretch stimulus.
How many pairs of spinal nerves exit the spinal cord at each vertebral level?
31 pairs
Dorsal roots contain what kind of fibers?
Afferent sensory fibers
Ventral roots contain what kind of fibers?
Efferent motor fibers
C3 Myotome
Cervical Lateral Flexion
C4 Myotome
Shoulder Elevation (Shrug)
C5 Myotome
Shoulder Abduction
C6 Myotome
Elbow Flexion (wrist extension)
C7 Myotome
Elbow Extension (wrist flexion)
C8 Myotome
Thumb Extension (finger flexion)
T1 Myotome
Finger Abduction and Adduction
L2 Myotome
Hip Flexion
L3 Myotome
Knee Extension
L4 Myotome
Ankle Dorsiflexion (Ankle Inversion)
L5 Myotome
Great Toe Extension