Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Reflex Exam (Deep Tendon Reflexes) The reflex exam is fundamental to the neurological exam and important to locating upper versus lower motor neuron lesions. There are five deep tendon reflexes and a number of superficial and visceral reflexes covered here.
By convention the deep tendon reflexes are graded as follows: 0 = no response; always abnormal. 1+ = a slight but definitely present response; may or may not be normal. 2+ = a brisk response; normal. 3+ = a very brisk response; may or may not be normal. 4+ = a tap elicits a repeating reflex (clonus); always abnormal.
Deep tendon reflexes or, more accurately, the 'muscle stretch reflex' can aid in evaluating neurologic disease affecting afferent nerves, spinal cord synaptic connections, motor nerves, and descending motor pathways.
Healthcare providers use the deep tendon reflex (DTR) examination to check for hyperreflexia as part of a neurological exam. The best-known of the reflexes is the patellar, or knee-jerk, reflex. The DTR exam involves a healthcare provider tapping your knee with a rubber hammer (it shouldn’t hurt).
Reflexes are involuntary contractions of muscles in response to a stimulus and are classified as deep tendon, superficial, or pathologic (Hinkle, 2021). The most common reflexes tested are the deep tendon reflexes which include the biceps, triceps, brachioradialis, quadriceps (patellar), and Achilles (ankle).
Deep tendon reflexes are involuntary muscle contractions that occur in response to the stretching of a tendon. These reflexes provide important information about the integrity of the nervous system and help healthcare professionals assess the functioning of specific nerve pathways.
Deep Tendon Reflexes (DTRs) are involuntary, automatic responses to a stimulus applied to a tendon, typically involving the muscle it is connected to. These reflexes are essential for assessing the integrity of the nervous system, particularly the motor and sensory pathways.
This article will focus on the “deep tendon reflexes” which are more appropriately named — and will be referred to herein — as muscle stretch reflexes (MSR). MSR grading is based on a clinician’s subjective evaluation of amplitude, with a wide range of what can be normal.
With deep reflexes, an internal structure (i.e., a tendon) stretches and stimulates the receptors in the muscle group. The aroused receptors initiate the reflex arc, causing the muscle to move. Deep reflexes include patellar, Achilles, plantar, triceps, and biceps reflexes.
This article will focus on the “deep tendon reflexes” which are more appropriately named — and will be referred to herein — as muscle stretch reflexes (MSR). MSR grading is based on a clinician’s subjective evaluation of amplitude, with a wide range of what can be normal.