Been hammered recently? No, I’m not talking about your quarantine consumption of wine and beer...we see you...
We are talking about a reflex hammer today. In the video, Dr. Mike is checking the reflex of the patellar tendon. This is also known as the knee-jerk reaction.
When you tap the patellar tendon, which lies just below (inferior) the kneecap (patella), it stretches the patellar tendon which causes the quadriceps muscle to contract. The message is sent to the spine and back, not traveling all the way to the brain. Pretty cool, right? Your spinal cord can cause reactions from your body without incorporating your brain!
Your reflexes serve protective purposes but are also a diagnostic tool used by professionals to assess the central nervous system and other systems of the body. There are an array of things that could cause your reflexes to be hindered, or to be hyper-reflexive. In the setting of the spine, this reflex test is assessing the L2/3/4 area. This particular reflex can be helpful in diagnosing spinal compression, or even thyroid abnormalities.
Share this video with someone who would be interested in understanding what this does. And if you are homeschooling your kids you could use this as an opportunity to teach a little anatomy and neuroscience! You could use a spatula or a handle of a butter knife if you are careful.
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