What is it called when you have no reflexes?
What Is Areflexia? Areflexia means the absence of deep tendon reflexes. Tendons are the tight cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Typically, when you tap on a tendon, it causes the muscle to contract and move involuntarily.
What does reflex testing tell us?
Reflex tests measure the presence and strength of a number of reflexes. In so doing, they help to assess the integrity of the nerve circuits involved.
What diseases affect reflexes?
This group includes diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, progressive bulbar palsy, primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, Kennedy’s disease, and post-polio syndrome.
What do absent 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 causes sluggish reflexes?
Peripheral neuropathy is today the most common cause of absent reflexes. The causes include diseases such as diabetes, alcoholism, amyloidosis, uremia; vitamin deficiencies such as pellagra, beriberi, pernicious anemia; remote cancer; toxins including lead, arsenic, isoniazid, vincristine, diphenylhydantoin.
What does absent reflexes indicate?
What is the doctor checking when he hits your knee?
The most familiar reflex is the knee jerk, when a healthcare provider taps on the tendon below your knee with a reflex hammer and that leg kicks out. The stimulus (the hammer) results in a signal being sent via a sensory nerve to the spinal cord.
What causes absent reflexes?
A reflex can be decreased or absent if there is a problem with the nerve supply. To test your reflexes, your doctor will use a rubber hammer to tap firmly on the tendon. If certain reflexes are decreased or absent, it will show what nerve might be compressed. Not all nerve roots have a reflex associated with them.
Is having no reflexes bad?
Some reflexes, such as the knee jerk, are normal. But others are abnormal and may signal a medical condition. Sometimes, the absence of a reflex can be an indication that something might be wrong. Learn more about some of the body’s strangest reflexes and what they indicate about your health.
Why do reflexes disappear?
Many infant reflexes disappear as the child grows older, although some remain through adulthood. A reflex that is still present after the age when it would normally disappear can be a sign of brain or nervous system damage. Infant reflexes are responses that are normal in infants, but abnormal in other age groups.