Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT) 4 Head and Neck Practice Test 2026 - Free iRAT Practice Questions and Study Guide

Souza emphasizes that subjective numbness is typically not due to a fixed nerve injury, but is best explained by either a referral of sensation from another region or a transient, non-persistent disturbance. A referred numbness arises when sensory signals are mislocalized by shared neural pathways, so the patient feels numbness in an area that isn’t the actual site of pathology. A transient process means the sensation may come and go, not presenting as a stable, long-lasting deficit. This framing helps differentiate subjective numbness from true, localized neuropathic loss, which would be expected to show consistent objective findings or a clear dermatomal pattern.