The evidence for the spinal segmental innervation of bone

Abstract

Dermatomes and myotomes are areas of skin and muscle, respectively, that are innervated by single spinal segmental nerves, and reflect a principle of organization that appears in just about every clinical textbook available today. The evidence for the existence of dermatomes and myotomes has a long and substantial history. A lesser known, but similar principle exists for the skeletal system. The term "sclerotome" was first used in the non-embryological sense by Inman and Saunders ([1944] J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 99:660-667) to define a region of bone and periosteum that is innervated by a single spinal segment. It is used by clinicians in many healthcare settings to aid in the diagnosis and descr..