What is a reflective hammer?
Reflective hammer is a common medical tool used to induce reaction of reflexes of deep tendons. Developed in the 18th century, it is probably one of the oldest and most widespread basic test tools. This known piece of equipment helps doctors to test neurological functions and judges abnormalities in the middle and peripheral nervous system. Most people know the reflective hammer as a tool that the doctor uses to decrease the patient under Kneecap, but can also be used in other parts of the body.
There are many shapes and models of basic reflective hammer. Taylor, or Tomahawk Reflex Hammer, is the best known in the United States. It consists of a triangular rubber head attached to a straight, metal handle.
Another popular reflective hammer is Queen Square. The Queen Square hammer has been developed for use in the London National Nervous Disease Hospital, now known as the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. It's a plastic caneh sharp narrowing on oneend and small metal and plastic disk at the other end. Queen Square is a reflective hammer of the most popular neurologists in the UK.
Other reflective hammers developed over the years include Babinski, Troemner, Berliner and Buck. Each hammer is designed to provoke slightly different reflective answers, including plantar, myotatic and skin reflexes. These reflexes include different areas of the body, including legs, tendons and skin. Newer addition to the reflective hammer market includes a hammer that claims to combine the functionality of five different reflective hammers into one. It has a rotating adjustable head and meets Taylor, Troemner, Buck, Babinski and Berliner Reflex Hammers.
Testing on deep tendon reflexes using a reflective hammer is a simple operation. Doctor Unackels pulses from the hammer to stretch muscles and tendons. When a hammer taps on a muscle tendon, the reaction knowsIt has a reflective arch between muscle and spine or brain stem causes the muscles to download immediately. Perhaps the best known reflective hammer test occurs when the hammer is applied directly below the patient's Kneecap, causing the lower leg to swing or kick.
When a doctor has performed a reflective test, he is looking for a well -timed normal motor reaction. If the patient shows a weak or reduced response to reflex testing, it is known as hyporeflexia. Patients with the opposite answer, a reflex that repeats or is exaggerated shows a condition known as hyperreflexia. Hypo- and hyperreflexia may indicate injury, trauma or other problems along the nerve motorways.