The use of multiple Tinel's sign in the identification of patients with peripheral neuropathy.

We have found that the presence of a Tinel's sign is often pervasive in subjects with peripheral neuropathy and/or risk factors for developing it. There is a paucity of research dealing with the usefulness of Tinel's sign as it relates to peripheral neuropathy (PN). The following investigation was carried out to determine if multiple Tinel's sign or MTS can be used to identify patients with an underlying PN or with risk factors for developing a PN. A total of 102 subjects were enrolled in the study prospectively. We found MTS to have a sensitivity of 79% with a specificity of 42% in detecting peripheral neuropathy and a sensitivity of 76% with a specificity of 44% in determining the presence of risk factors for developing a peripheral neuropathy. We conclude that MTS can be a fairly sensitive indicator of PN or risk factors.