What it means
The examiner taps lightly over a nerve; if the nerve is irritated or squeezed, the client feels tingling along its path. Tapping over the median nerve on the palm side of the wrist, with tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, is a classic test for carpal tunnel syndrome. It is named after Jules Tinel, a French neurologist.
Remember it
Tinel = Tap; Phalen = Flex.
At a glance
| Also written | Tinel's sign |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
Phalen test
A test in which the client holds the backs of both hands pressed together, wrists fully bent, for about 60 seconds to see whether tingling develops.
Related terms
entrapment
Being caught or trapped, such as a body part caught in a bed's side rails or a nerve squeezed by nearby tissue.
Phalen test
A test in which the client holds the backs of both hands pressed together, wrists fully bent, for about 60 seconds to see whether tingling develops.