The motor tinel sign: a useful sign in entrapment neuropathy?

The motor Tinel sign (MTS) refers to electromyographic activity, sometimes associated with a visible muscle jerk, evoked by percussion or manipulation of a peripheral nerve. The MTS is found in entrapment neuropathies (such as carpal tunnel syndrome or entrapment of the ulnar nerve at the elbow and peroneal nerve at the fibular head) but occasionally also in normal subjects. The MTS may be useful in evaluating patients with entrapment neuropathy, but it does not always indicate nerve dysfunction. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.