Palpation

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Overview

Palpation is used as part of a physical examination in which an object is felt (usually with the hands of a healthcare practitioner) to determine its size, shape, firmness, or location. Palpation should not be confused with palpitation, which is an awareness of the beating of the heart.

Uses

In the assessment of patients with pain conditions, practitioners (e.g. chiropractors, doctors of osteopathic medicine, physical therapists, and massage therapists) may use palpation to feel for tissue texture (e.g. swelling or muscle tone), to assess range and quality of joint motion, and to assess tenderness through tissue deformation (e.g. provoking pain with pressure or stretching). The scientific literature has shown that motion palpation is often unreliable between practitioners. In contrast, manual tests that provoke or relieve pain have been shown to be more reliable.

Palpation is typically employed for thoracic and abdominal examinations, but can also be used to diagnose edema and measure the pulse. It is used by veterinarians to check animals for pregnancy, and by midwives to determine the position of a fetus.

See also

• Physical examination
• Inspection (medicine)
• Percussion (medicine)
• Auscultation

References

de:Palpation id:Palpasi nl:Palpatiesv:Palpation

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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .