Tinel's sign

A clinical sign elicited by percussing a superficial peripheral nerve, producing distal paresthesias (tingling, pins and needles) along its sensory distribution. It indicates focal nerve irritation, compression neuropathy, or axonal regeneration at or distal to the site of nerve injury.

Causes

• Compression neuropathies

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

  • Cubital tunnel syndrome

  • Tarsal tunnel syndrome

• Traumatic causes

  • Fracture causing nerve compression

  • Crush nerve injury

  • Nerve trauma with regeneration

• Metabolic and systemic causes

  • Diabetes mellitus

  • Hypothyroidism

  • Rheumatoid arthritis

  • Pregnancy

• Space-occupying lesions

  • Lipoma

  • Ganglion cyst

  • Nerve-compressing tumors