Palpation is a method of examination in which the examiner feels the size or shape or firmness or location of something (of body parts when the examiner is a health professional). Palpation is used by medical doctors and chiropractic doctors for particularly for thoracic and abdominal examinations, but also for examination of edema and palpation of pulses.
See also:.
Physical examination
Inspection (medicine)
Percussion (medicine)
Auscultation
Palpation: The act of feeling with the hand; the application of the fingers with light pressure to the surface of the body for the purpose of determining the consistancy of the parts beneath
The stethoscope (Greek στηθοσκόπιο, of στήθος, stéthos - chest and σκοπή, skopé - examination) is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, i.e. listening to internal sounds in the human body. It is most often used to listen to heart sounds and breathing (breath sounds), though it is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins.
Stethoscope - History.
The stethoscope was invented in France in 1816 by René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec ...
In medicine, a person's pulse is the throbbing of their arteries as an effect of the heart beat. It can be felt at the neck, at the wrist and other places.
The pulse results from pressure waves moving through the blood vessels, which are pliable; it is not caused by the forward movement of the blood. When the heart contracts, blood is ejected into the aorta and the aorta stretches. At this point the wave of distention (pulse wave) is most pronounced, but relatively slow-moving (3 to 5 m/s). As it travels towards the peri ...
Acupuncture points针灸穴位 (also called "acupoints or tsubo") are specific anatomical locations on the body that are believed to be therapeutically useful for acupuncture, acupressure, sonopuncture, or laser treatment. Medical science does not currently understand how these points work, but cheap commercial devices can detect changes in the electrical conductivity of the skin at these points. Most of the resear ...
Breast self-examination (BSE) is an easy but unreliable method for finding possible breast cancer.
BSE is a useful screening tool, particularly in women who have a family history of breast cancer. If performed appropriately and regularly it can help in early detection of some types of breast cancers. The method involves trying to feel breasts for possible distortions or swelling. The steps involved in self exam are:
Stand in front of a mirror with top exposed.
Place hands on hips.
Look for signs o ...
The anatomical snuff box is a depression on the back of the hand, just beneath the thumb, that is formed by three tendons. When snuff was popular, this small compartment could be used as a place to hold the tobacco for snorting.
The two tendons it consists of are the tendons of the muscles extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus laterally. Medially, the bordering tendon is that of the extensor pollicis longus muscle. Therefore the snuff box is visible when the thumb (pollux/pollicis) is dorsally flexed. The bodies of these muscles ...
Baroreceptors (or baroceptors) in the human body detect the pressure of blood flowing though them, and can send messages to the central nervous system to increase or decrease total peripheral resistance and cardiac output.
Baroreceptors can be divided into two categories, high pressure arterial baroreceptors and low pressure baroreceptors (also known as cardiopulmonary receptors).
Baroreceptor - Arterial Baroreceptors.
There are baroreceptors present in the arch of the aorta, an ...
An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling (dilatation or aneurysm) of the aorta, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location. While the stretched vessel may occasionally cause discomfort, it is the risk of rupture causing severe pain, massive internal hemorrhage and, without prompt treatment, resulting in a quick death. In addition the aneurysm may split (Aortic dissection) which may block vessels that branch off from the aorta or release blood clots (emboli) causing ...
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. It is commonly due to impaction (sticking) of a gallstone within the neck of the gall bladder, leading to inspissation of bile, bile stasis, and infection by gut organisms. Cholecystitis may be a cause of right upper quadrant pain. The pain may actually manifest in the right flank or scapular region at first. In severe cases, the gall bladder can rupture and form an abscess. In severe cases, it may lead to a life-threatening infection of the liver called cholangitis. In other cases, it ...
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also known as Benign prostatic hypertrophy or Benign enlargement of the prostate (BEP) refers to the increase in size of the prostate in middle-aged and elderly men. In BPH, the prostate grows larger and presses against the urethra and bladder, interfering with the normal flow of urine. It leads to symptoms of urinary hesitancy, frequent urination, increased risk of urinary tract infections and urinary retention. There is remarkably little correllation between BPH symptoms and th ...
Venipuncture or venepuncture (also known as phlebotomy, blood draw or simply bleeding) is the process of obtaining blood from someone, from one of their veins. In many circumstances it will be done by a phlebotomist, although nurses, doctors and other medical staff are also trained to take blood.
Blood is most commonly obtained from the median cubital vein, on the anterior forearm (the side opposite the elbow). This vein lies close to the surface of the skin, and there is not a large nerve supply.
Including:
In human anatomy, the thumb is the first digit on a hand. The human thumb is fully opposable to the tips of the other fingers in that it may position itself, and be folded inward, toward the rest of the hand and fingers, if so required. It rotates at the carpometacarpal joint and so can complete the sometimes quite delicate task of grasping objects by pressing them against the rest of the hand or finger(s).
Thumb - Anatomy of the thumb.
In anatomy, the thumb is also called the first finger, pollex ...
Varicocele is a mass of enlarged veins in the scrotum that develops in the spermatic cord, which leads from the testicles (testes) up through a passageway in the lower abdominal wall (inguinal canal) to the circulatory system. The spermatic cord is made up of blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, and the duct that carries sperm from the body (vas deferens). If the valves that regulate bloodflow from these veins become defective, blood does not circulate out of the testicles efficiently, which causes swelling in the veins above and ...
Endometrial cancer involves cancerous growth of the endometrium (lining of the uterus). It mainly occurs after menopause, and presents with vaginal bleeding. A hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) is generally performed.
It is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, with over 35,000 women being diagnosed each year in the U.S. Because of effective screening, it is only the third most common cause of gyneco ...
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also known simply as Chinese medicine (Chinese: 中醫學, zhōngyī xué, or 中药学, zhōngyaò xué) is the name commonly given to a range of traditional medical practices used in China that have developed over the course of several thousand years of history. It is also regarded as an instance of oriental medicine, a term which may include other traditional Asian medical systems such as Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, and Mongolian medicine. Chinese medicine principally employs a method ...
Cervical cancer is a malignancy of the cervix. Worldwide, it is the second most common cancer of women. It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in advanced stages, which has made cervical cancer the focus of intense screening efforts utilizing the Pap smear. Most scientific studies point to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as a necessary pre-requisite for development of cervical cancer. Treatment is with surgery (including cryosurgery) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in ...
Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide,it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 10% of all women at some stage of their life in the Western world. Although significant efforts are made to achieve early detection and effective treatment, about 20% of all women with breast cancer will die from the disease, and it is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women.
Breast cancer - Epidemiology.
Breast cancer - Age.
The risk of get ...
A Breech birth (also known as breech presentation) refers to the position of the baby in the uterus such that it will be delivered buttocks first as opposed to the normal head first position.
Breech birth - Etiology.
Certain factors can encourage a breech presentation. These include multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets or more), excessive amounts of amniotic fluid, hydrocephaly, anencephaly, very short umbilical cord, and some uterine abnormalities. Babies with congenital abnormalities are more likely ...
