Dezherina Pain Point

Dejerine's Pain Point

Dejerine Joseph (Bozhena Remy Moigné de Jéry; August 16, 1852 - October 3, 1926) was a French neurologist (neuroanatomist), professor of Morphology at the Medical Institute with an adjacent department at the psychiatric hospital of Clichy, France. Knight of the Legion of Honor. Born in France in the city of Brest, he will die in France in Paris. One of the creators of a number of anatomical and physiological theories (“theory of nerve turns” by Benedict Topolsky and Théophile Jadin, “theory of painful points”, Dejerine–Roussy syndrome). Painful points on the surface of the skin to determine segmental innervation are named after Dejerine and his American colleague Thomas Roussey. Most English-language sources mistakenly refer to him as Zherin.

Dejerine pain point (DBP, Latin doloris Dejerine) is one of the most well-known and important concepts in neurology. The name of Jean Jacques Dejerine (1865-1947), a famous French scientist, is closely associated with this term.

Jean Jacques Dejerine was born in 1866 in Paris. At a young age, he showed a passion for medicine and began studying anatomy, physiology and surgery.

Dejerine's first interesting experiment was work performed jointly with the French neurologist Charles Richet. During the study, they discovered that intravenous administration of sodium chloride solution could cause tremors. Later, the famous scientist Jules Ezekiel compared this effect with the effect of thiamphenicol (paravencenol, which is also known as DDT, tilomadol). This is how the concept of Pain Point (PP) arose. The essence of the study was to determine the properties of the nerves that are responsible for sensitivity to tactile stimulation. They discovered the localization of the region of the spinal cord responsible for sensation, which is reflected in the BT on the surface of the skin.

Each of the patients entering Dejerine's pain point office first confirms consent to a painful stimulation session. Until the patient confirms his consent to the procedure, the doctor must be sure that there are no contraindications for this procedure. An important aspect is also contraindications related to the individual characteristics of the patient’s body (inflammatory process or poor health, exacerbation of a chronic disease).

The procedure itself is carried out as follows: using a wooden cane held between the fingers, several blows are applied to the painful point. A session usually consists of 3-4 elements. The nature and severity of pain gradually increases. After each blow, the patient says how much he assesses the level of pain on a 10-point scale. However, today it can be argued that with regular BT procedures, the patient ceases to feel pain, and this method can become an excellent alternative to medications. An indicator of effectiveness can be the fact that if the patient is able to remove his hand from the water at one time, this means that the patient needs to stop attending BT sessions.

With constant manipulation of the pain point, it is possible to ensure that the patient ceases to distinguish between the sensations of strong and weak pain, therefore, there is no need to use drugs or other painful treatments. This generally reduces the burden on the patient’s body.