palpating
Examining by touch
Palpating is examining by touch, especially as a medical technique.
A doctor palpates the abdomen to check for tenderness or masses, or palpates lymph nodes to assess swelling.
The word comes from medicine but extends to any careful, exploratory touching: She palpated the fabric to assess its weight.
Appendages of the hand
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- pressureForce upon contact
- gentleSoft and kind
- bimanualInvolving both hands
deep · superficial · systematic · circular · methodical · probing · pressing · feeling
Methodical assessment or review
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
- differentialRelative difference between things
- screeningEvaluative selection process
auscultation · percussion · anamnesis · symptoms · signs · tenderness · masses · distension
fingers
Appendages of the hand
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- pressureForce upon contact
- gentleSoft and kind
bimanual · deep · superficial · systematic · circular · methodical · probing · pressing · feeling · locating
examination
Methodical assessment or review
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
- differentialRelative difference between things
screening · auscultation · percussion · anamnesis · symptoms · signs · tenderness · masses · distension · guarding
tenderness
Gentle, caring quality
firmness · softness · rigidity · guarding · rebound · crepitus · pulsation · thrill · enlargement · irregularity
abdomen
Torso's lower cavity
- thyroidHormone-producing neck gland
- liverAbdominal detoxifying organ
- spleenBlood-filtering abdominal organ
kidneys · breast · pulse · masses · organs · tissues · cervix · prostate · testes · hernia
palpatingimaging
Producing visual representations
visualizing · listening · inspecting · scanning · radiographing