Reflex

[ngfok]

I was watching discovery channel, and they show how a person got a car accident and the physician lightly pokes his legs. Why did he do that and why did he begin near the foot?Is it because the doctor is trying to test if he has any reflexes. but why does he have to start from the bottom of his legs

[canalon]

I think it has nothing to do with reflexes, but with the sense of being touched. In fact the physician is testing to see if some nerves have been destroyed or not (ie broken spine).

[jmennyjith]

The reason he starts at the foot is because those interneurons are at the base of the spine, this checks the nerve damage there, as he works his was up he tests interneurons all the way up the spine. This as mentioned before checks for spinal cord damage throught the spine