Palpation

Chris learned the word "palpation" last week. Palpation in the nursing sense is one of the techniques used in physical assessments to check patients for all sorts of things from swollen lymph nodes to lumps or masses. Basically it is just using your sense of touch. Anyway, Chris informed me last week that his back needed to be palpated to assess for any muscle swelling or abnormalities because he was still in pain from pindodge. I palpated his back, told him it was a bit swollen and went on with what I was doing. Then he said his side needed to be palpated. Then his arm needed to be palpated. And then I realized he was just enjoying his massage.