Weber Two Point Discrimination Test
What It Measures
The Weber Two Point Discrimination Test checks how well a person can feel fine details through touch. With their eyes closed, the person is touched with either one or two points on the fingertip and asked whether they feel one point or two. The closest distance at which they can reliably tell the difference shows how finely the nerves in that area of skin are still working.
Occupational and physical therapists use this test with people recovering from nerve injury, stroke, or other conditions affecting hand sensation, most often in hospital, acute care, and outpatient hand therapy settings. A threshold under 6 mm is generally considered normal, with larger distances suggesting reduced sensory function. Because of known limits in test-retest consistency, results are best interpreted alongside other sensory measures rather than on their own.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Two-Point Aesthesiometers (discrimination wheels) available for purchase starting at $48.
Score Interpretation: Normal < 6mm; Fair 6-10mm; Poor 11-15mm; Protective One point perceived; Anesthetic No points perceived.
