A dermatome is the area of the skin of the human anatomy that is mainly supplied by branches of a single spinal sensory nerve root. These spinal sensory nerves ...homebrain&nervoussystemcenterTopicGuideDermatomes(NerveMapping)MedicalAuthor:BenjaminWedro,MD,FACEP,FAAEMMedicalEditor:WilliamC.ShielJr.,MD,FACP,FACRMedicalEditor:MelissaConradStöppler,MDReviewedon12/15/2020DefinitionWhatFactsShouldYouKnowAboutDermatomes?DistributionWhereAreDermatomesLocatedintheSpinalColumn?NerveMappingMapofDermatomesandLocationsontheBodyDermatomesvs.MyotomesWhatIstheDifferenceBetweenDermatomesandMyotomes?DiagnosingDiseasesHowDoDoctorsUseDermatomestoDiagnoseDiseases?GuideDermatomesTopicGuideWhatFactsShouldYouKnowAboutDermatomes?ReadersComments5ShareYourStoryDermatomemapofthehumanbodyWhatIsaDermatome?Adermatomeistheareaoftheskinofthehumananatomythatismainlysuppliedbybranchesofasinglespinalsensorynerveroot.Thesespinalsensorynervesenterthenerverootatthespinalcord,andtheirbranchesreachtotheperipheryofthebody.Thesensorynervesintheperipheryofthebodyareatypeofnervethattransmitssignalsfromsensations(forexample,painsymptoms,touch,temperature)tothespinalcordfromspecificareasofouranatomy.WhyAreDermatomesImportant?Tounderstanddermatomes,itisimportanttounderstandtheanatomyofthespine.Thespinalcolumnisdividedinto31segments,eachwithapair(rightandleft)ofanteriorandposteriornerveroots.Thetypesofnervesintheanteriorandposteriorrootsaredifferent.Anteriornerverootsareresponsibleformotorsignalstothebody,andposteriornerverootsreceivesensorysignalslikepainorothersensorysymptoms.Theanteriorandposteriornerverootscombineoneachsidetoformthespinalnervesastheyexitthevertebralcanal(thebonesofthespine,orbackbone).WhereAreDermatomesLocatedintheSpinalColumn?The31spinalcolumnhas31spinalnerves,whicharecomposedof8cervical,12thoracic,5lumbar,5sacral,and1coccygealspinalnerves.Therearespecificdermatomesforeachofthesespinalnerves,exceptthefirstcervicalspinalnerve.Dermatomesareusedtorepresentthepatternsofsensorynervesthatcovervari