The Four T's of Palpation Temperature: Tissue may be hot, indicating inflammation, or cod, indicating schema.

Texture: Swelling or deem is present. In an acute condition, this deem may be hard whereas in a chronic condition there is a boggy, congested edema. Health tissue has an even texture throughout. Tropic changes indicating muscle wasting may feel soft with little resilience in the tissue. Adhesions feel as if the tissue is stuck together and is less mobile. Crepitis is a palpable roughness in the joint or tendon that is noted with movement and sometimes accompanied by an "audible" crunching. Tenderness: Pain can be indicated if the client wines or pulls away with tissue compression. Some structures may be to painfull to be palpated. Tone: Tissues may be hypertonic- that is, experiencing an increase in tone relative to nearby muscles-or hypotonic, which is a decrease in tone relative to nearby muscles. The tone should be compared throughout.