title: Sensory thresholds at different sites of the foot: a valuable reference for neurologic examinations.
abstract: METHODS
  Prospective healthy volunteer study for sensory thresholds.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to test sensory thresholds at different sites of the foot to provide a reference for diagnosis and neurologic classification.
  
  
  METHODS
  A university hospital for the research and clinical practice of rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty healthy volunteers were recruited, and quantitative sensory testing was performed on three sites of the foot (medial malleolus (for the L4 dermatome), dorsum of the foot at the third metatarsal phalangeal joint (for the L5 dermatome) and lateral heel (for the S1 dermatome)). First, cold sense, warm sense, cold pain and hot pain were tested. Second, a monofilament tactility test was performed. Finally, a physical examination for sensation was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the thresholds for the medial malleolus were significantly different from those for the dorsum of the foot at the third metatarsal phalangeal joint and lateral heel, whereas no significant difference existed between the values for the dorsum of the foot at the third metatarsal phalangeal joint and lateral heel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sensory threshold of the human medial malleolus may be significantly different from those of adjacent sites of the foot. Thus, the results obtained from physical examination of sensory thresholds of the medial malleolus should be used modestly as a reference, but should not be used for diagnostic or classification purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine and Spinal Cord Surgery, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China.|School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.|Department of Anesthesiology, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.|Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing Electric Power Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X-F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: M-M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X-P
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: H-F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine and Spinal Cord Surgery, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China.|School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013697:Thermosensing; D055698:Touch Perception; D055815:Young Adult