Dermatome Chart Lumbar Spine – The term “dermatome” is a combination of 2 Ancient Greek words; “derma” implying “skin”, and “tome”, suggesting “cutting” or “thin segment”. It is an area 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” refers to the segmental innervation of the skin.
Dermatomes Link To Pain Dr Michael A Castillo MD – Dermatomes Link To Pain Dr Michael A Castillo MD
Surrounding dermatomes often, if not constantly overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches corresponding to one posterior root usually go beyond the limit of their dermatome. The thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a medical guide than a real border. Dermatome Chart Lumbar Spine
This indicates that if a single back nerve is impacted, 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 neighboring posterior roots need to be impacted. In addition, it’s essential to note 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. Dermatome Chart Lumbar Spine
Dermatome maps
Dermatome maps depict the sensory circulation of each dermatome throughout the body. Clinicians can evaluate cutaneous feeling with a dermatome map as a method to localize sores within central anxious tissue, injury to specific spinal nerves, and to figure out the level of the injury. Numerous dermatome maps have actually been established for many years but are frequently conflicting.
The most typically utilized dermatome maps in major textbooks are the Keegan and Garrett map (1948) which leans towards a developmental interpretation of this principle, and the Foerster map (1933) which correlates better with scientific practice. This article will review the dermatomes using both maps, recognizing and comparing the significant distinctions in 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 sectors, each with a set (right and left) of anterior and posterior nerve roots. The kinds of nerves in the posterior and anterior 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 posterior and anterior nerve roots combine on each side to form the spinal nerves as they leave the vertebral canal (the bones of the spine, or backbone).