Definition/Introduction
The Hoffman-Tinel sign, now more commonly known as the Tinel sign, was defined in 1915 by Paul Hoffmann and Jules Tinel as the "pins and needle feeling" elicited by tapping on a nerve proximally, with resulting paresthesia experienced in the corresponding distal cutaneous distribution of an injured peripheral nerve. Hoffmann and Tinel both, individually, provided reports at the same time describing the phenomenon. The Hoffman-Tinel sign is now used commonly as an indication of peripheral nerve fiber compression or regeneration.[1] Although it is most associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, the Hoffman-Tinel sign is generalized, and an examiner can also elicit it in other known neuropathies such as tarsal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, or Guyon's canal syndrome.