Neck Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline

Neck Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration YogauonlineThe term “dermatome” is a combination of 2 Ancient Greek words; “derma” implying “skin”, and “tome”, indicating “cutting” or “thin sector”. It is a location of skin which is innervated by the posterior (dorsal) root of a single spinal nerve. As posterior roots are organized in sections, dermatomes are as well. This is why the term “dermatome” describes the segmental innervation of the skin.

Neck Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline

How To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration YogaUOnline – How To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration YogaUOnline

Surrounding dermatomes frequently, if not constantly overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches representing one posterior root normally surpass the limit of their dermatome. As such, the thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a medical guide than a genuine boundary. Neck Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline

This implies that if a single spine nerve is affected, there is likely still some degree of innervation to that sector of skin coming from above and below. For a dermatome to be completely numb, usually two or 3 neighboring posterior roots need to be affected. In addition, it’s crucial to keep in mind that dermatomes go through a big degree of interindividual variation. A visual representation of all the dermatomes on a body surface chart is referred to as a dermatome map. Neck Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline

Dermatome maps

Dermatome maps depict the sensory distribution of each dermatome across the body. Clinicians can evaluate cutaneous feeling with a dermatome map as a way to localize sores within main anxious tissue, injury to particular spinal nerves, and to determine the degree of the injury. Numerous dermatome maps have been developed over the years but are frequently conflicting.

The most commonly utilized dermatome maps in major books are the Keegan and Garrett map (1948) which leans towards a developmental analysis of this principle, and the Foerster map (1933) which correlates better with clinical practice. This post will review the dermatomes using both maps, determining and comparing the major differences in between them.

Why Are Dermatomes Important?

To understand dermatomes, it is essential to comprehend the anatomy of the spinal column. The spinal column is divided into 31 segments, each with a set (right and left) of posterior and anterior nerve roots. The kinds of nerves in the anterior and posterior roots are different.

Anterior nerve roots are responsible for motor signals to the body, and posterior nerve roots get sensory signals like discomfort or other sensory signs. The anterior and posterior nerve roots integrate on each side to form the spine nerves as they exit the vertebral canal (the bones of the spine, or foundation).