A pinch is a grip of a flexible object in which a portion is taken between two
finger
A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...
s, until it hurts, or something of resemblance and squeezed so the gripped portion of the object is lifted from its normal level. By extension, that which is taken in the grip is referred to as a "pinch."
When the fingers are used to perform a pinch, the action usually consists of the
thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
and one other finger. The closer to the thumb the other finger is located, the stronger the pinch.
Pinch of the skin
The term "pinch" often refers to the action being taken on the
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
. A pinch of the skin displaces the skin and
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
beneath from its natural position, and may inflict a minor degree of pain, which may increase if the amount of skin being pinched is smaller, but is usually tolerable to most.
Pinching the skin can result in
pinch mark Pinch marks are a cutaneous condition caused by pinching, and when on the ears or in the genital region of male children may be suggestive of child abuse.
See also
* Runner's rump
* List of cutaneous conditions
Many skin conditions affect ...
s, a
cutaneous condition
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this sy ...
, and when on the ears or in the genital region of male children may be suggestive of child abuse.
Medical uses
Pinching has the following uses in health care and medicine:
*The skin is often pinched prior to giving an
injection
Injection or injected may refer to:
Science and technology
* Injective function, a mathematical function mapping distinct arguments to distinct values
* Injection (medicine), insertion of liquid into the body with a syringe
* Injection, in broadca ...
in order to get the needle in the desired location.
*In
neurology
Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...
, pinching can be used to determine pain sensitivity for a certain area of skin.
*Can be used to determine
resiliency in the skin of an
aged person. When the skin is pinched, the amount of time the pinch remains visible following the pinch is an indicator.
*When skin has been
damaged by the sun, pinching can be used to determine the amount of damage. Examining the appearance with varying amounts of time following the pinch can be used to determine the amount of damage.
*In determining
dehydration
In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...
, pinching the skin can serve as a test. The speed at which the pinch turns back can help determine the level of dehydration. The slower it goes back, the more severe the dehydration.
*
Body fat percentage can be determined the
skinfold test
The body fat percentage (BFP) of a human or other living being is the total mass of fat divided by total body mass, multiplied by 100; body fat includes essential body fat and storage body fat. Essential body fat is necessary to maintain life and ...
, in which a pinch of skin is precisely measured by calipers at several standardized points on the body to determine the subcutaneous fat layer thickness. These measurements are converted to an estimated body fat percentage by an equation.
*Pinching is used as part of the diagnosis of
schleroderma
Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas of ...
. In schleroderma patients, the skin between the fingers becomes too difficult to pinch.
*In
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
, small amounts of animal skin is pinched in order to perform
grafting
Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
.
[Techniques in large animal surgery By Anthony Simon Turner, C. Wayne McIlwraith, Bruce L. Hull: Page 129]
Pinch of powder
A pinch can refer to the taking of a small amount of a
powdery substance.
In cooking, a "
pinch" refers to a small amount of an ingredient, such as
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
or a
spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
, being taken to be placed within a recipe.
Small amounts of
street drug
Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...
s are sometimes referred to as a "pinch."
References
{{reflist
Skin
Skin conditions resulting from physical factors
Pain infliction methods