What is a sacral dermatome?

A dermatome is an area of skin that is mainly supplied by a single spinal nerve. There are 8 cervical nerves (note C1 has with no dermatome), 12 thoracic nerves, 5 lumbar nerves and 5 sacral nerves. Each of these spinal nerves relay sensation from a particular region of the skin to the brain.

Where are the sacral dermatomes?

They’re associated with your sacrum, which is one of the bones found in your pelvis. Coccygeal nerves. You only have a single pair of coccygeal spinal nerves. This pair of nerves originates from the area of your coccyx, or tailbone.

What is a Dermatone?

A dermatome is an area of skin in which sensory nerves derive from a single spinal nerve root (see the following image). Dermatomes of the head, face, and neck.

What does S4 and S5 innervate?

S1 affects the hips and groin area. S2 affects the back of the thighs. S3 affects the medial buttock area. S4 & S5 affect the perineal area.

What Dermatomes are affected by sciatica?

When a nerve at the L4-5 or L5-S1 level is affected (bottom two levels), this dermatome is usually the sciatic nerve, which runs down the back of each leg to the foot. Radicular pain may also be accompanied by numbness and tingling, muscle weakness and loss of specific reflexes.

What are the sacral dermatomes and sacral nerves?

The sacral dermatomes associated with the five sacral nerves are: S1: Across the lowest part of the back, then arching steeply and traveling down the back of the thigh, back and inside of the calf, and to the little toe S2: The genitals in front, across the buttocks in the back, then arching sharply to run down the back of the thigh and calf

What does dermatome mean in a spinal cord injury?

When they identify a particular dermatome as affected, it tells them where on the spinal cord the damage is. For example, if someone has impaired sensory function down the back of the calf and in the little toe, that points to the S1 dermatome as a likely site of injury.

What is the clinical significance of a dermatome?

Overview. The clinical significance of a dermatome is that when a dermatological case presents itself, a rash for example, that is limited to a single dermatome, that outer clinical symptom may indicate the pathological involvement of its related spinal root.

What are the dermatomes of spinal nerves?

The part of a nerve that exits the spinal cord is called the nerve root. Damage to a nerve root can trigger symptoms in the nerve’s corresponding dermatome. Below, we show the locations of the dermatomes throughout the body. We also describe health conditions that can damage the spinal nerves and affect their dermatomes.