Introducing PSSD - Painless Nerve Testing

If you are one of the countless people who live with the pain, numbness, tingling, and reduced functionality due to nerve injury, PSSD or Pressure Specified Sensory Device™ testing signals a breakthrough in diagnosing the cause of your discomfort. This revolutionary new technology is a truly pain free means of testing nerve function in a way never before possible. Utilizing innovative computer technology, the PSSD unit enables accurate, non-invasive neurosensory and motor testing (NMT) without the pain associated with traditional electrodiagnostic testing.

The PSSD is an electromechanical device that interfaces with a computer to create a system of instruments which measure sensory and motor function. Using a "joy buzzer" type indicator, a patient is touched with an instrument consisting of two points. The patients ability to feel and distinguish the distance between the points is measured by the PSSD and shown graphically on a series of charts and graphs. The PSSD can also be used to measure strength of grip and pinch - another indicator of various nerve compression conditions.

The painless, non-invasive nature and superior sensitivity of the testing combined with its cost-effectiveness means the PSSD procedure enables patients to be diagnosed earlier and more accurately. Early diagnosis of nerve compression is a key to effective treatment and pain alleviation. Since PSSD testing is painless and cost effective, repetitive testing can be conducted to monitor a condition or to measure the effectiveness of surgery or treatment choices.

Grip Test Pinch Test Touch Test

PSSD - Why and When

Patients from endlessly varied backgrounds suffer pain from peripheral nerve injury due to compression neuropathy. PSSD’s revolutionary new technology gives health care providers a new tool in the diagnosis of chronic nerve pain. PSSD is instrumental in the early detection of many nerve disorders including:
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
  • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Diabetic Neuropathy
  • Radial Sensory Nerve Entrapment
  • Brachial Plexus Compression
  • Peroneal Nerve Entrapment
  • and Neuropathy due to alcohol, chemotherapy, dialysis, and lead exposure
PSSD allows for early identification of changes in sensation. Its graphical representation of results provides quantitative data to record the degree of sensory loss which, in turn, enables a health care professional to monitor the progression of a condition or the effectiveness of treatment, including surgery.

Traditional electrodiagnostic testing is prone to error. Faster conducting impulses are measured and do not give an accurate picture of mild to moderate nerve damage when both normal and abnormal nerve fibers are present. Combined with variations in testing technique this can lead to false negative test results as high as 45%. Combined with the inherent pain and expense associated with electrodiagnostic testing, PSSD stands poised as the method of choice for future diagnosis.

Since PSSD testing measures the resultant sensation and strength factors for a patient, it provides the most complete picture of a condition. Using one and two point sensory testing provides a measurement of the sensibility loss in a nerve (comparable to measuring weakness in a muscle). For one point testing, a pressure threshold above normal signals abnormal functioning of the touch receptors and an underlying problem with the nerve fibers servicing those receptors. With two point testing, a patients discrimination of the points wider than normal signals a loss of receptors and the degeneration of associated nerve fibers (comparable to atrophy of muscle). The digit-grip device is an additional tool that PSSD testing uses to measure grip strength in the analysis of conditions affecting the hands.

Clearly PSSD testing raises the standard for diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury. Its painless application, level of accuracy, cost effectiveness, and ease of repetitive testing are making it the tool of choice. Patients suffering nerve pain now have hope for early diagnosis and effective treatment plans to alleviate chronic pain and prevention of countless amputations.

If you would like to receive more information about obtaining the Pressure Specified Sensory Device™ for your company, please call us at:
301.759.4263
or drop us a line at info@tristatehand.com.