Hoffmann Tinel Sign
Definition/Introduction
The Hoffman-Tinel sign, now more commonly known as the Tinel sign, was defined in 1915 by Paul Hoffmann and Jules Tinel as the "pins and needle feeling" elicited by tapping on a nerve proximally, with resulting paresthesia experienced in the corresponding distal cutaneous distribution of an injured peripheral nerve. Hoffmann and Tinel both individually provided reports describing the phenomenon. The Hoffman-Tinel sign is commonly used to indicate peripheral nerve fiber compression or regeneration.[1] Although it is most associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, the Hoffman-Tinel sign is generalized, and an examiner can also elicit it in other known neuropathies such as tarsal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, or Guyon canal syndrome.