Question

susan a 50 year old female es experiencing motor and sensory deficits in her limbs. specifically she exhibits hyper active stretch reflexes and bilateral postive babinski signs. explain each of these results. include in your explanation a description of how each can be tested in a clinical setting. finally discusss possiable locations (i.e. spinal cord levels) of the injury

Answer 1

Since there is motor and sensory deficit and positive babinski sign, it is suggestive that the level of the injury is in upper motor neuron or corticospinal tract.

Babinski sign can be tested by banbinski reflex test in which back of the hammer or any such object is moved at the lateral border of the sole of the foot, normally plantar reflex and fanning of the fingers is observed but in upper motor neuron it is positive that is the hallux moves outwards (dorsiflexion occurs).

muscular hypertonia tests and positive findings

A) clonus for wrist extension and foot extension + transient/sustained clonus
B) deep tendon reflexes for biceps and patellar + hyper-reflexia.

Possible locations are- anterior horn cells, cerebral peduncles , internal capsule and spinal cord.