Principles and Procedures for Somatosensory Examination
The principal goals of somatosensory examination are to accurately identify altered (e.g., absent or diminished) exteroception, proprioception and/or discriminatory sensation and to quantify and qualify the location, degree and nature of pertinent findings. The following examination principles should be applied to tests and measures covered in this module:

• Always seek to determine if there is a reason why a patient may have altered or abnormal responses before beginning examination procedures.
• Make certain to clearly explain all testing procedures before you begin.
• Give the patient the opportunity to ask questions before and after a given examination procedure.
• If the patient is unable to respond verbally, the clinician must utilize another communication strategy, such as raising a finger.
• Tests may need to be repeated up to three non-consecutive times, because inconsistencies in response may indicate deficits.
• If a deficit is found, systematic testing is required to delineate the, region, boundaries and/or location, etc., of the deficit(s).
• Equipment used for somatosensory examination must be discarded (e.g., cotton balls and paper clips) or thoroughly cleaned after each use (e.g., tuning fork and test tubes).
• Make certain that you understand and know how to observe for normal and abnormal responses.