tinel's sign tinel's sign tinel's sign (also hoffmann-tinel sign) is a way to detect irritated nerves. it is performed by lightly tapping (percussing) over the nerve to elicit a sensation of tingling or "pins and needles" in the distribution of the nerve. percussion is usually performed moving distal to proximal. it is named after jules tinel. tinel's signtransverse section across the wrist and digits. (the median nerve is the yellow dot near the center. the carpal tunnel is not labeled, but the circular structure surrounding the median nerve is visible.)specialtyplastic surgerydifferential diagnosisirritated nerves it is a potential sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, anterior tarsal tunnel syndrome and symptomatic neuroma. history tinel's sign takes its name from french neurologist jules tinel (1879–1952), who wrote about it in a journal article published in october 1915. german neurologist paul hoffmann independently also published an article on the sign six months earlier, in march 1915. previously, in 1909, trotter and davies published their findings that sensations elicited distal to the point of nerve resection are referred to the area or point of nerve resection; however they "failed to comment on the clinical relevance of their observation."