palpation

palpation skills
'palpation is touching with purpose and intent' (salvo,p.205)

taut bands
spasms
trigger points
contraindications

when palpating, be mindful of:

anomalies - swollen lymphnodes, loose bodies etc
client reaction - pain response to pressure, discomfort, lack of sensation etc
edema - swelling, boggy or congested tissue, pitting edema etc
twitching - involuntary contractions, twitch responses etc
temperature - warm, hot, cool. sweating etc
superficial Fascia - skin flexibility, tissue mobility etc



Task 1

Seated opposite ur partner lay your left forearm on the table palm up
lay ur right hand palm down over ur partner forearm without touching it
close ur eyes and slowly move ur hand over the area of their forearm and attempt to feel/sense the temperature of the skin
can u feel any chnges from warm to hot, cold to warm etc
now lay ur fingertips on ur partners forearm and attempt to feel for any veins that lay beneath the skin


Using the pads of ur fingers, lightly sink into the skin of ur partners forearm until u begin to feel resitance
then, maintaining that light pressure, move the tissue of ur partner in the directions of a compass - N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and returen to the centre each time
does ur partners tissue feel more restricted in one direction, multiple directions, all or none?

Lay the length of ur fingers flat on ur partners forearm and strum from left to right near their wrist
find a single tendon and attempt to follow that muscle up the forearm as far as possible
if u lose feel of the muscle ask ur partner to gently move their wrist into flexion/extension/adduction/abduction to bring the muscle up again.

Ask ur partner to turn their left arm onto its side so that the palm is facing inward
near the wrist, find the radius and try to palpate its boudaries
follow the boundaries as far up the forearm as u can
can u continue to palpate it if u palpate more deeply?

Repeat these steps on another partner

Task 2

Lay your fingers on the medial side of your partners upper arm
Strum side to side and find the valley between the major muscles of the brachium
sink your fingers indeeper to the valley and attempt to find a firm, ropey structure that you can flick over in each direction
Attempt to follow this cord toward the armpit as far as you can
The cord is the median and ulnar nerves passing down toward the elbow.