title: The Tinel sign has no diagnostic value for nerve entrapment or neuropathy in the legs.
abstract: The presence of a Tinel sign in leg nerves has been proposed as a criterion for decompressive surgery in polyneuropathy. We investigated the diagnostic yield of the Tinel sign for nerve entrapment and for distal symmetrical peripheral neuropathy (DSPN).
  
  
  
  We prospectively tested for the Tinel sign at 3 sites of possible nerve entrapment per leg in 91 patients. Entrapment was defined using nerve conduction data. We also investigated whether the number of sites at which the Tinel sign was present identified patients with DSPN.
  
  
  
  Sensitivity of the Tinel sign for nerve entrapment was low (29%, 44%, and 17%) for the 3 sites, and specificity was moderate (86%, 75%, and 81%). In the subgroup with DSPN, sensitivity was extremely low (0%, 20%, and 8%), and specificity was moderate (91%, 79%, and 73%). The number of sites with a Tinel sign did not identify patients with DSPN.
  
  
  
  The Tinel sign does not reliably indicate nerve entrapment or DSPN. Muscle Nerve 54: 25-30, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Postbus, 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Datema
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Alrijne Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elske
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoitsma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Krista I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Roon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn J A
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Malessy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Postbus, 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J Gert
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Van Dijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Postbus, 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Tannemaat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Tinel sign; entrapment neuropathy; lower extremity; polyneuropathy; sensitivity; specificity