Two Point Discrimination, A Useful Tool 
Do you ever have numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, arm or legs? Then you might think about getting tested to see what is going on! I have been doing nerve testing now for the last four years. I use the Pressure Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) which was developed by Dr. Lee Dellon. However, its beginnings really were the humble and very useful two point discriminator. This device is a simple disc with little probes that can determine a persons sense of touch in the hands or feet. (See below) So if the patient has numbness, tingling or pain in the hands or feet this simple device can help determine and screen for any sensory loss in the hands or feet. It is usually the discriminator that leads me to suggest if a nerve test is necessary. Cool, huh? Here is how it works. The disc has one or two probes around the disc. The two probes are of progressively wider distances starting at two millimeters and going to eight millimeters . Normal for children is three millimeters and adults four millimeters. So what I do is touch each fingertip with one or two points. If the person recognizes it is two points at the normal distance, all is well. However, if it takes more than the normal distance to recognize two points then there is a nerve loss of sensation that warns us all is not well. This helps us screen out and identify potential nerve problems for carpal tunnel, nerve compressions of the forearm, elbow, shoulder of neck and also in the legs, back and feet. The great thing is it is easy and quick to administer and provides valuable information to help direct the treatment. If you or someone you know has persistent numbness, tingling or pain in the hands, arms, neck, back, legs or get we can help get to the root of your problem. Call us or ask your doctor for a referral. Once we determine the problem we can target specific areas to relieve pressure through stretching, splinting or modalities. It doesn’t hurt and the nerve testing is painless as well. Give us a call today at Tri State Hand and Occupational Therapy. You will come in a patient and leave a friend! |
||
|
© Tri State Hand and Occupational Therapy, Inc
|
