Myotome Vs Dermatome Map

Myotome Vs Dermatome MapThe term “dermatome” is a combination of 2 Ancient Greek words; “derma” indicating “skin”, and “tome”, indicating “cutting” or “thin segment”. 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 sectors, dermatomes are. This is why the term “dermatome” describes the segmental innervation of the skin.

Myotome Vs Dermatome Map

Dermatomes And Myotomes Sensation Anatomy Geeky Medics – Dermatomes And Myotomes Sensation Anatomy Geeky Medics

Neighboring dermatomes typically, if not always overlap to some degree with each other, as the sensory peripheral branches corresponding to one posterior root typically surpass the limit of their dermatome. As such, the thin lines seen in the dermatome maps are more of a medical guide than a real boundary. Myotome Vs Dermatome Map

This means that if a single spine nerve is affected, there is most likely still some degree of innervation to that section of skin coming from above and listed below. For a dermatome to be totally numb, usually two or three surrounding posterior roots need to be affected. In addition, it’s important to keep in mind that dermatomes go through a large degree of interindividual variation. A visual representation of all the dermatomes on a body surface chart is referred to as a dermatome map. Myotome Vs Dermatome Map

Dermatome maps

Dermatome maps portray the sensory distribution of each dermatome throughout the body. Clinicians can evaluate cutaneous feeling with a dermatome map as a method to localize sores within main worried tissue, injury to particular back nerves, and to determine the degree of the injury. A number of dermatome maps have been established for many years however are frequently conflicting.

The most frequently utilized dermatome maps in significant books are the Keegan and Garrett map (1948) which leans towards a developmental interpretation of this concept, and the Foerster map (1933) which associates much better with scientific practice. This post will review the dermatomes using both maps, determining and comparing the major 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 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 receive sensory signals like pain 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 spinal column, or backbone).