Cervical Spine Dermatome Maprheumatology Images Cervical Dermatome Anatomy 04 Cervical Flickr

Cervical Spine Dermatome Maprheumatology Images Cervical Dermatome Anatomy 04 Cervical FlickrThe term “dermatome” is a combination of 2 Ancient Greek words; “derma” indicating “skin”, and “tome”, meaning “cutting” or “thin section”. It is a location of skin which is innervated by the posterior (dorsal) root of a single back nerve. As posterior roots are arranged in sections, dermatomes are too. This is why the term “dermatome” describes the segmental innervation of the skin.

Cervical Spine Dermatome Maprheumatology Images Cervical Dermatome Anatomy 04 Cervical Flickr

Dermatomes Diagram Spinal Nerves And Locations – Dermatomes Diagram Spinal Nerves And Locations

Neighboring dermatomes typically, if not constantly overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches representing one posterior root typically surpass the limit of their dermatome. The thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a scientific guide than a real boundary. Cervical Spine Dermatome Maprheumatology Images Cervical Dermatome Anatomy 04 Cervical Flickr

This implies that if a single back nerve is affected, there is most likely still some degree of innervation to that sector of skin originating from above and listed below. For a dermatome to be entirely numb, normally 2 or 3 neighboring posterior roots need to be affected. In addition, it’s essential to keep in mind 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 referred to as a dermatome map. Cervical Spine Dermatome Maprheumatology Images Cervical Dermatome Anatomy 04 Cervical Flickr

Dermatome maps

Dermatome maps portray the sensory distribution of each dermatome throughout the body. Clinicians can evaluate cutaneous experience with a dermatome map as a method to localize sores within central anxious tissue, injury to specific spine nerves, and to determine the extent of the injury. A number of dermatome maps have actually been established for many years however are often clashing.

The most frequently utilized dermatome maps in significant textbooks are the Keegan and Garrett map (1948) which leans towards a developmental interpretation of this principle, and the Foerster map (1933) which associates much better with medical practice. This article will review the dermatomes using both maps, identifying and comparing the significant differences between them.

Why Are Dermatomes Important?

To comprehend dermatomes, it is necessary to understand the anatomy of the spine. 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 get sensory signals like pain or other sensory signs. The anterior and posterior nerve roots combine on each side to form the spinal nerves as they exit the vertebral canal (the bones of the spinal column, or backbone).