Palpation means to use fingers or palms to feel or press certain regions of the patient's body to understand whether the local regions are cold or warm, dry or moist and soft or hard as well as whether there are tenderness, lump or other abnormal changes. Palpation can not only help understand the location, nature and severity of disease, but also help make manifestations of some diseases objective, further complementing the data obtained from inspection, olfaction and listening and inquiry as well as providing necessary evidence for analyzing pathological conditions and judging the nature of diseases. Methods for palpation are listed as follows:

Postures:
The posture for palpation is selected according to the aim and regions for palpation. The usual posture used is sitting or supination. When the patient is seated, the doctor stands or sits in front of the patient, holding the patient with the left hand and palpating local regions of the patient with the right hand. The usual technique for palpation is to palpate skin, hands and feet as well as acupoints. If the patient is asked to lie in supination with the relaxation of the whole body and natural stretching or bending the legs, the doctor stands at the right side of the patient and palpates the patient with the right hand or both hands. Such a way of palpation is often used to press chest and abdomen.