Bekhterev's Reflexes and Symptoms

BEKHTEREV'S REFLEXES, SYMPTOMS. Bekhterev's reflexes. Scapulohumeral: elicited from the inner edge of the scapula, manifested by contraction of the posterior portion of the deltoid muscle; with increased reflex excitability, it spreads to the anterior portion and even to the biceps. Trochanter major reflex: upon percussion of the greater trochanter, extension of the leg occurs (contraction of the gluteus maximus muscle); the patient should be standing or lying down with the leg being examined slightly bent. Expiratory reflex: upon percussion of the cartilages of the lower ribs and the lower end of the sternum, expiratory movements occur (contraction of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm). Acromial: upon percussion of the acromion process, flexion of the forearm occurs, sometimes of the hand and fingers. Dorsal foot reflex: see Mendel-Bekhterev reflex. Wrist-finger reflex: upon percussion of the back of the hand, flexion of the fingers occurs. Orbicular: upon percussion of the nasal bones, temporal, and frontal regions, slight closure of the palpebral fissure and partial contraction of the lower part of the orbicularis oculi muscle occurs (with increased excitability, it can be elicited from more distant parts of the head). Bekhterev-Jacobson reflex: upon percussion of the back of the wrist joint or the lower part of the radius, flexion of the fingers occurs, and sometimes flexion of the forearm. Bekhterev's symptoms. Early symptom of tabes dorsalis: reduced sensitivity to pressure in the muscles and nerves of the lower extremities, mainly the calf muscles and the popliteal nerve. Sciatic neuralgia: 1) sensation of sharp pain in the popliteal region during rapid extension of the leg at the knee joint (excessive stretching of the affected nerve), 2) inability to extend the healthy leg while extending the affected leg. Transferred, or substitute movements: when attempting to perform a movement with a paralyzed limb, the patient performs the corresponding movements with the healthy limb (observed in severe cerebral paralysis). Parasymbolia, a speech disorder in central lesions: the patient does not understand heard speech but speaks himself, uttering incoherent words. Excitation reaction in tetany: a weak current, which causes a barely noticeable muscle contraction, produces gradually increasing contractions upon repeated closures, which then transition into muscle tetanus; the same effect is obtained by passing a galvanic current along nerve trunks. Pseudomelia paraesthetica: muscle hallucinations, or the sensation of movements in paralyzed limbs in cerebral paralysis; explained by pathological irritation of the conductors of muscle sense. Thumb symptom: if the fingers (2-4) of a hand in a state of contracture are extended, movements of flexion and adduction appear in the thumb; with the reverse maneuver, the thumb extends and abducts (symptom of organic hemiplegia). Perverted muscle ridge: in myotonia, compressing the muscle initially causes the formation of a depression at the site of compression. Acroerythrosis: painless, persistent redness of the hands and feet. Stiffness of the spine: see Spondylosis. Hemichorea: see Chorea. Bekhterev's zygomatic symptom (1910): in processes affecting the membranes of the base of the brain, even light tapping on the zygomatic arch, which is indifferent in a normal state, causes more or less sharp pain.