A method to induce the patellar reflex at a high rate

Abstract

We developed a method to induce the patellar reflex as one of the spinal reflexes at a higher rate without relying on expertise or special instruments. In an experiment involving students taking the elementary school teacher training course, they rolled newspaper into shape of stick and used them during classes in the following steps: 1) folding a sheet of newspaper in half at the center of its longer side, 2) repeating step 1) 3 times, and 3) rolling the folded sheet with its shorter side as the center. Subsequently, they placed this newspaper stick in the concavity below the patella, and tapped it with a fist to induce the patellar reflex. When the diameter of the stick was 17 or 18 mm, the induction rate was higher than that when using a reflex hammer. Using a newspaper stick with a diameter of 18 mm or smaller, it was possible for the students who were taking the elementary school teacher training course and not specializing in body responses to induce the patellar reflex at a similar rate to that of students taking the physical or occupational therapist training course. It is believed that this study has successfully developed educational materials that allow individuals without expertise in human to experience the patellar reflex at a high rate.