Dermatome and myotome are terms that refer to embryonic deve

Dermatome and myotome are terms that refer to embryonic development. They also have neurologic significance in adults. Discuss the relationship between the spinal nerves and the dermatome (and myotome). How can a healthcare professional use these maps in a medical setting.

Solution

Dermatome are regions of the skin that are mainly supplied by a spinal nerve.

A mytome comprises of a group of muscles that a single spinal nerve root innervates.

By testing the dermatomes and the mytomes the evaluation of the nerve root damage can be done. For pain sensation testing the test is done by gently pricking the skin and inquiring about the sensation from the patient; if it is sharp or not. Based on the dermatone dots i.e. map sensation on the skin in different parts of the body can be studied analyze the nerve root damage. So is the case with mytome as well.