Tinel's sign is positive when tapping over a nerve elicits which sensation?

Tinel's sign is positive when tapping over a nerve elicits which sensation?

• A. Pins and needles sensation distally along the nerve
• B. Numbness only at the tapping site
• C. Pain radiating to the shoulder
• D. Weakness without sensory change

Answer: (A)

Tinel's sign tests nerve irritability by tapping over a nerve to see if abnormal nerve fibers generate impulses. When a nerve is irritated or compressed, tapping can trigger paresthesias—tingling or a pins-and-needles sensation—that spread distally along the nerve’s course. This happens because the injured nerve fibers fire in response to the mechanical stimulus, producing sensory symptoms in the area they innervate beyond the tapping site. Numbness confined to the tapping location wouldn’t reflect distal nerve conduction, pain radiating to the shoulder isn’t a typical distal paresthesia along a peripheral nerve, and weakness without sensory change points to a different issue, not a positive Tinel’s sign.

Tinel's sign tests nerve irritability by tapping over a nerve to see if abnormal nerve fibers generate impulses. When a nerve is irritated or compressed, tapping can trigger paresthesias—tingling or a pins-and-needles sensation—that spread distally along the nerve’s course. This happens because the injured nerve fibers fire in response to the mechanical stimulus, producing sensory symptoms in the area they innervate beyond the tapping site.

Numbness confined to the tapping location wouldn’t reflect distal nerve conduction, pain radiating to the shoulder isn’t a typical distal paresthesia along a peripheral nerve, and weakness without sensory change points to a different issue, not a positive Tinel’s sign.