Nerve Partner Test

The bottom’s hand enters from the left, with the fingers and thumbs touching at the fingertips. The rigger’s hand enters from the upper right and is squeezing the bottom’s fingers and thumb together.

This test covers more of the hand than the nerve self test, but it requires help from your rigger.

Make sure to practice this before you get tied, so you have a baseline for what your hand strength ought to be.

Attribution

We learned this test from Topologist, who has an excellent video of it (note that he performs the test slightly differently).

Step by step

The rigger’s hand is pointing down, with the index and middle fingers twisted together.

1: Protect your fingers

Have your rigger twist their index and middle fingers together, to protect them from being squeezed too hard.

The rigger’s hand is pointing down, with the index and middle fingers twisted together. The bottom’s hand enters from the left and squeezes the rigger’s index and middle fingers with their whole hand.

2: Squeeze your rigger’s fingers

Squeeze the two fingers with your whole hand.

Loss of strength in this test suggests motor damage to one of the nerves of the hand.

3: Expand your fingers

Place your fingertips together and have your rigger wrap their hand around your fingers and thumb. Use your fingers and thumb to force your hand open against resistance.

Loss of strength suggests motor damage to one of the nerves of the hand.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License