A child was in a diving accident. When brought into the emergency room, the doctor used sharp and blunt objects to determine if
there was any sensation on the bottom of the foot and the lateral aspect of their palm. The child stated they could not feel the stimulus in either area. What nerves were most likely damaged?
The spine is composed of 33 vertebrae and has 31 pairs of nerves that are distributed throughout the body in an organized manner. Each nerve that leaves the spine is responsible for imparting sensitivity and strength to a particular area of the body, so whenever there is a compression or cut of a nerve, a particular area of the body is compromised.
When a person has a feeling of numbness in the foot, as shown in the above question, it is more likely that there is a change in the spine, specifically in the nerves S1 and S3. This is because nerve S1 is responsible for eversion of the foot, while nerve S3 is responsible for the intrinsic muscles of the foot.
