Functional weakness and sensory disturbance
- 1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
- Correspondence to: Dr J Stone, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; jstone{at}skull.dcn.ed.ac.uk
- Received 18 April 2002
- Accepted 3 May 2002
Abstract
In the diagnosis of functional weakness and sensory disturbance, positive physical signs are as important as absence of signs of disease. Motor signs, particularly Hoover's sign, are more reliable than sensory signs, but none should be used in isolation and must be interpreted in the overall context of the presentation. It should be borne in mind that a patient may have both a functional and an organic disorder.
