Ways to Test Reflexes

Problems with reflexes indicate many different things to doctors. Problems with the brain properly sending or receiving messages sometimes present themselves as reflex problems. In addition, physical trauma sometimes eliminates reflexes in certain areas of the body. The various testing methods available to physicians help them diagnose these larger problems based on reflex symptoms.

Percussion

• Doctors use a small rubber mallet to test reflexes in their patients. This common reflex test is the method utilized for the reflex located in the knee. A quick tap with the hammer underneath the knee stimulates the leg to an involuntary movement. The same method can be used to elicit reflex action in many other positions on the body. Some people react differently to reflex tests, so it's common for a doctor to try several times to obtain the typical reflex action.

Scratches

• A light scratching motion on the skin is used to test different types of reflexes. The scratch test is used to asses what physicians call the superficial reflexes. This test uses the abdominal muscles, the thighs and the feet. The doctor lightly scratches the surface of the skin in the appropriate area and then observes the patient reaction.

Pupillary Reflex

• The way that pupils respond to light is a reflex action inside the eye. The pupils involuntarily shrink when excess light is present and enlarge when it is dark. Doctors test this by shining a light into the eye and observing the response of the pupils. The eyes also perform a reflex action when a patient focuses on a distant versus a near object. These tests are used in conjunction to assess the potential of neurological problems in a patient.

Electric Stimulation

• Other types of reflexes called the H-Reflex and the F-Wave are tested for by applying electrical stimulation and sensors to the body. The tester applies an electrical frequency to a location on the muscle being tested. The body exhibits a physical response in most cases to those impulses, but the reflex is also measured in wave form through the presence of sensors placed at key nerve points on the patient's muscle.