What occurs during the patellar reflex?
The patellar reflex occurs when an abrupt change arises in muscle length; in this case, it is produced by the tendon stretching, which is caused when the hammer stroke is applied [3, 4]. The normal response must be a sudden leg extension.
What nerve carries the afferent and efferent impulses in the patellar reflex?
femoral nerve
The quadriceps femoris reflex also called the patellar reflex, is elicited by inducing rapid stretch in the common quadriceps tendon distal to the patella (technically the patellar ligament, but in this functional context, the quadriceps femoris tendon), sending an afferent action potential to the spinal cord via the …
What muscles are involved in the knee-jerk reflex?
The knee-jerk reflex, also known as the patellar reflex, is a simple reflex that causes the contraction of the quadriceps muscle when the patellar tendon is stretched. I describe the course of the reflex arc from muscle spindles in the quadriceps muscle to motor neurons that cause movement of the leg.
What was the effect of muscle fatigue on your ability to produce the patellar reflex?
What was the effect of muscle fatigue on your ability to produce the patellar reflex? The response was lesser than usual. Pupillary light reflex: protects the retina(s). Corneal reflex: protects the eye from damage.
What nerve carried the motor impulse for the patellar reflex?
The axon enters the spinal cord via the dorsal nerve root. The spinal cord segments are L4-5(6). The axon travels into the ventral grey matter and stimulates the alpha motor neuron. The axons of these neurons travel in the femoral nerve and cause contraction of contraction of quadriceps muscle and extension of stifle.
What is the sensory neuron in the patellar reflex?
The patellar reflex is a clinical and classic example of the monosynaptic reflex arc. There is no interneuron in the pathway leading to contraction of the quadriceps muscle. Instead, the sensory neuron synapses directly on a motor neuron in the spinal cord.
What causes the knee-jerk reflex?
2-Minute Neuroscience: Knee-jerk Reflex – YouTube
Which nerve is responsible for patellar reflex?
The patellar tendon reflex tests the function of the femoral nerve and spinal cord segments L2-L4.
Why is knee jerk reflex important?
Why is the patellar reflex important?
The primary purpose of the patellar reflex – the stretch reflex of the quadriceps femoris muscle – is to prevent excessive stretching of the quadriceps.
Why does your leg jerk when you hit your knee?
The sharp tap on the tendon slightly stretches the quadriceps, the complex of muscles at the front of the upper leg. In reaction these muscles contract, and the contraction tends to straighten the leg in a kicking motion.
Where is the receptor for the patellar reflex?
What is the normal response of the patellar reflex?
knee-jerk reflex, also called patellar reflex, sudden kicking movement of the lower leg in response to a sharp tap on the patellar tendon, which lies just below the kneecap.
What does it mean if you have no knee-jerk reflex?
If your doctor taps on a tendon and there isn’t a reflexive movement in the muscle, it’s a sign of a health issue. Usually, absent reflexes are caused by an issue with the nerves in the tendon and muscle. You may have other muscle symptoms along with areflexia, like weakness, twitching, or atrophy.
What does it mean if you have no knee reflex?
The normal response is a ‘knee jerk’. This is an example of a reflex, which is an involuntary muscular response elicited by the rubber hammer tapping the associated tendon. When reflex responses are absent this could be a clue that the spinal cord, nerve root, peripheral nerve, or muscle has been damaged.
What is the doctor testing when he hits your knee?
The reflex that the doctor checks by tapping your knee is called the patellar, or knee-jerk, reflex. It is also known as a deep tendon reflex (DTR) because the doctor is actually tapping on a tendon called the patellar (say: puh-TEL-ur) tendon.
What type of receptor is stimulated in the patellar reflex?
spindle fiber
Tapping the patellar tendon stretches the quadriceps muscle and causes the sensory receptor of the muscle, called a spindle fiber, to send a signal along the afferent neuron to the spinal cord.
What causes lack of reflexes in legs?
Autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), can result in nerve or tissue damage that can lead to weak or absent reflexes. In MS, for example, the body’s immune system attacks and damages the protective layer of the nerve fibers.
What do poor reflexes indicate?
When reflex responses are absent this could be a clue that the spinal cord, nerve root, peripheral nerve, or muscle has been damaged. When reflex response is abnormal, it may be due to the disruption of the sensory (feeling) or motor (movement) nerves or both.
What does it mean if you have no patellar reflex?
An absent or diminished patellar tendon reflex may be due to PNS pathology affecting either the afferent sensory neurons or the efferent motor neurons. If the reflex is absent or diminished combined with sensory loss, the lesion is likely in the afferent sensory nerves.
What does it mean if you have no reflex in your knee?
What muscle is actually contracting to cause extension of the foot during the ankle jerk reflex?
gastrocnemius muscle
The ankle jerk reflex, also known as the Achilles reflex, occurs when the Achilles tendon is tapped while the foot is dorsiflexed. It is a type of stretch reflex that tests the function of the gastrocnemius muscle and the nerve that supplies it.
What does it mean if your knee reflex doesn’t work?
What happens if your knee doesn’t reflex?