Goldscheider's Method

GOLDSCHEIDER'S METHOD (Goldscheider) for investigating sensitivity stems from the observation that by means of artificial pain stimuli, hyperalgesic areas can be produced on the skin, the structure of which makes it possible to establish spinal zones. To elicit pain, Goldscheider uses a clamp with which a fold of skin is grasped and compressed. After a certain time, in the periphery of

the compressed skin fold, hyperalgesia develops, especially for pressure. This hyperesthetic field does not have a concentric shape, but reveals longitudinal boundaries on the extremities and girdle-like boundaries on the trunk. By applying pain stimuli to various parts of the body, Goldscheider found that the resulting zones are localized and distributed in a specific and regular manner, so that the following basic facts can be established. 1. Each spinal cutaneous region has a specific structure. It consists of two symmetrically located parts, separated by the segmental midline; both symmetrical regions represent corresponding fields in relation to the state of sensory irritation, such that the hyperalgesia of one corresponds to the hyperalgesia of the other. 2. In this way, it is possible to establish the boundaries of individual segments, which other methods fail to determine completely or can determine only approximately. Goldscheider's scheme differs from others mainly in those places where significant uncertainties in demarcation are noted. For Goldscheider's method of investigating temperature, vibration, and joint sensitivity, see Sensitivity.