Assistant Professor, Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Physiotherapy, New Delhi, India.

Physiotherapist, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Physiotherapist, Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Physiotherapy, New Delhi, India.
Sensation ,heat therapy ,Cold therapy ,Two point discrimination ,

Sensation is a perception associated with stimulation of a sense organ or with a specific body condition, located not in specific parts but is found all over the body and originates in the bottom layer of skin called the dermis. Two-point discrimination is the ability to discern that two nearby objects touching the skin are truly two distinct points, often tested with two sharp points during a neurological examination. Besides touch, skin contains thermoreceptors endings that are highly sensitive to temperature. Some thermosensory fibers specifically respond to warmth (warm receptors); others respond to cold (cold receptors), located just beneath the skin surface. Hence the different sensations may interact to effect each other complexly. 45 subjects were included in the study with mean age 21.48 years, mean height 166.03 cm & mean weight 59.80 kilogram & were selected. The experiment was divided into 3 groups with Group-A (normal room temperature), Group-B (cold application) and Group-C (heat application) and two point discrimination sensitivity testing was done on dermatome T1. After application of cold pack, two point discrimination sensitivity was found to be increased. The magnitude of increase in heat application group was 5.13 mm, however for cold was 8.25 mm. This shows that greater change in two point discrimination sensitivity occur with cold application as compared to heat application. Therefore the study concluded that greater change in two point discrimination sensitivity occur with cold application as compared to hot application

6 , 6 , 2016