Execution:
- Use a brush like the one found in the handle of most reflex hammers, a piece of cotton or your fingers
- Then stroke the dermatomes in both the affected an unaffected limb
- To confirm changes in sensibility, you can also compare the sensation in different adjacent dermatomes by stroking across the borders of these dermatomes
Positive Outcome: Changes in sensibility compared to adjacent dermatomes or compared to the other side
| Study |
Reliability |
Sn | Sp | LR+ |
LR- |
| Hancock et al. (2011) |
NA |
42 | 74 | 1.61 |
0.79 |
| Iversen et al. (2013) |
NA |
33 | 88 | 2.9 |
0.75 |
| Comment: L4 sensory loss does not seem to be able to identify a specific level of lumbar disc herniation | |||||
