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Christine Jimenez

Coach Kramer

Reflex lab Prewrite

11 September 2017

Title: Reflex Arc Lab

Purpose: To test if an athlete's sensory and motor neurons are not affected by an injury that can

potentially damage a nerve that stops reflexes.

Background: A reflex is an involuntary movement caused by a stimulus that travels to the brain.

In order for a reflex to occur, a nerve pathway called a reflex arc in necessary for the brain to

send a message to the area of the stimulus. A pathway includes a receptor, an afferent pathway

toward the CNS, nerve impulse from the integration center to an effector, and a contracting

response by a muscle. Two categories that reflexes are categorized by are autonomic and

somatic. Autonomic reflexes are brought about by activation of smooth and cardiac muscle as

well as the glands. Somatic reflexes include stimulation of skeletal muscles and involve the

nervous system.

Materials: Taylor Reflex Hammer and a Pinwheel

Hypothesis: I think a stimulus caused by the Taylor Reflex Hammer will cause the athletes

muscle to contract if they have not had a brain or spinal cord injury. If they have had an injury, it

will not have a noticeable reflex action.


Procedure:

1. Place the athlete on a table sitting up right to test the patella tendon reflex

2. Have their legs in a relaxed position

3. Tap the patella with the Taylor Reflex Hammer

4. Watch and record the reflex

5. To test the Achilles, have the athlete in a prone position with their lower legs off the table

6. Hit the Achilles with the hammer

7. Watch and record the reflex

8. To test the triceps, have the athletes shoulder abducted 90 degrees and elbow flexed at 90

degrees

9. Tap the triceps tendon proximal to the olecranon

10. Watched and record contraction of triceps

11. To test the Babinski reflex, have the athlete in a supine position

12. Run the pinwheel along the plantar aspect of the foot

13. Record if the athletes toes curl


Data Chart:

Reflexes Partner 1 Partner 2 Partner 3


Teddy Jalen Christine

Left Right Left Right Left Right

Patellar Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Achilles Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Babinski Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Triceps Yes Yes No No No Yes

Reflexes Teddy Jalen Christine


eyes closed

Left Right Left Right Left Right

Patellar Yes Yes Yes No No No

Achilles Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Babinski Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Triceps Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes


Analysis:

For the reflexes with eyes open, Jalen was the only one that did not have a tricep reflex.

Reasoning behind the absence of his arm reaction could include myopathy, a damaged nerve, or

his regular body function to have an extremely small reaction. For the reflexes with eyes closed,

Teddy was the only one that had positive reflexes for both sides of the Patellar test. Jalen and I

could have possibly been waiting for the hammer to tap our patella that we did not relax our legs.

If the leg is not relaxed, the reaction will not come easily when the patella is hit.

Conclusion: My hypothesis was supported for the most part as the three of us had normal

reflexes for most of the tests. None of us have nerve damage or spinal cord injuries and all three

of us had reflex reactions to most of the tests. Jalen had no reaction to some of the tests and it is

possible that is how his body normally functions without any type of nerve injury. Even though

he has no injury, there was no display of movement which was the only part that did not support

my hypothesis.

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