Cervical Dermatome Chart With Symptoms – The term “dermatome” is a mix of two Ancient Greek words; “derma” implying “skin”, and “tome”, implying “cutting” or “thin segment”. It is a location of skin which is innervated by the posterior (dorsal) root of a single spine nerve. As posterior roots are organized in sections, dermatomes are. This is why the term “dermatome” refers to the segmental innervation of the skin.
Dermatomes Diagram Spinal Nerves And Locations – Dermatomes Diagram Spinal Nerves And Locations
Surrounding dermatomes often, if not constantly overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches representing one posterior root generally go beyond the limit of their dermatome. The thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a medical guide than a real limit. Cervical Dermatome Chart With Symptoms
This suggests that if a single back nerve is impacted, there is most likely still some degree of innervation to that section of skin originating from above and below. For a dermatome to be totally numb, usually two or three surrounding posterior roots need to be impacted. In addition, it’s crucial to note that dermatomes are subject to a big degree of interindividual variation. A visual representation of all the dermatomes on a body surface area chart is described as a dermatome map. Cervical Dermatome Chart With Symptoms
Dermatome maps
Dermatome maps depict the sensory circulation of each dermatome throughout the body. Clinicians can examine cutaneous feeling with a dermatome map as a way to localize lesions within central anxious tissue, injury to specific back nerves, and to determine the degree of the injury. Numerous dermatome maps have been developed throughout the years but are typically clashing.
The most frequently used 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 much better with clinical practice. This article will review the dermatomes using both maps, recognizing and comparing the major distinctions in between them.
Why Are Dermatomes Important?
To comprehend dermatomes, it is essential to understand the anatomy of the spinal column. The spine is divided into 31 sectors, each with a pair (right and left) of anterior and posterior 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 receive sensory signals like pain or other sensory symptoms. The anterior and posterior nerve roots integrate on each side to form the spinal nerves as they exit the vertebral canal (the bones of the spinal column, or backbone).