Nerve Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline 2

Nerve Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline 2The term “dermatome” is a combination of two Ancient Greek words; “derma” meaning “skin”, and “tome”, meaning “cutting” or “thin sector”. It is an area of skin which is innervated by the posterior (dorsal) root of a single spine nerve. As posterior roots are arranged in segments, dermatomes are also. This is why the term “dermatome” describes the segmental innervation of the skin.

Nerve Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline 2

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

Neighboring dermatomes frequently, if not always overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches corresponding to one posterior root typically exceed the limit of their dermatome. The thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a clinical guide than a genuine boundary. Nerve Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline 2

This means that if a single back nerve is affected, there is most likely still some degree of innervation to that sector of skin coming from above and below. For a dermatome to be totally numb, typically two or 3 surrounding posterior roots require to be affected. In addition, it’s essential to keep in mind that dermatomes go through a large degree of interindividual variation. A graphical representation of all the dermatomes on a body surface area chart is referred to as a dermatome map. Nerve Dermatome Maphow To Prevent And Alleviate Spinal Degeneration Yogauonline 2

Dermatome maps

Dermatome maps illustrate the sensory distribution of each dermatome across the body. Clinicians can evaluate cutaneous sensation with a dermatome map as a way to localize sores within central worried tissue, injury to specific back nerves, and to figure out the extent of the injury. Numerous dermatome maps have been established for many years but are frequently contrasting.

The most commonly used dermatome maps in major textbooks are the Keegan and Garrett map (1948) which leans towards a developmental analysis of this concept, and the Foerster map (1933) which associates much better with scientific practice. This article will review the dermatomes using both maps, recognizing and comparing the major distinctions between them.

Why Are Dermatomes Important?

To understand dermatomes, it is important to comprehend the anatomy of the spine. The spine is divided into 31 sections, each with a pair (right and left) of anterior and posterior nerve roots. The types 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 combine on each side to form the spine nerves as they exit the vertebral canal (the bones of the spinal column, or foundation).