How common is hyperreflexia?

Do you have hyperreflexia and have you been diagnosed with MS?

Thanks just interested to see how common it is.

Dawn

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50%

 (17) 

Yes I have hyperreflexia

5%

 (2) 

No I do not have hyperreflexia

44%

 (15) 

Yes I have hyperreflexia and have benn dx with MS

34 Members voted

[drsdonthelp]

hi Dawn!! Love the poll, I have also been interested in knowing this as well? I am not dx with MS but I do have hyperreflexia.

[wiggles94]

Hi Dawn,
I have hyperreflexia and have been diagnosed with possible MS and am on DMDs.

[Sumanadevii]

I have MS and don't even know what hyperreflexia is....lol

[Quixotic1]

The reflexes are tested when the doctor taps on the tendon at the knee and looks for the lower leg to kick a little or tapping the Achilles tendon, or the tedons at the elbows.  The force of the reflexes are graded from 0 to 4+.  Normal hyperreflexia is very brisk, but the same all over.  Abnormal hyperreflexia is when the reflexes are very brisk but asymetrical (one side different from the other) or when the limb keeps jerking more than just the first time.

You can read more about the tendon reflexes at

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/Measuring-The-Tendon-Reflexes/show/157?cid=36

Hope this helps.

Quix

[supermum_ms]

Well colour me purple, i've read all the health pages over and over but for some reason i'd completely forgotten about this, thanks Quix.

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5+ - Major kick with sustained, repetitive movements (sustained clonus).  Also considered here and in "4+" is if other muscle groups also react with contraction, called "spreading reflex." Clonus is most often seen at the ankle. The doctor will press suddenly up on the toes, dorsiflexing the ankle.  With clonus the toes will repeatedly and rhythmically bounce downward if light pressure is kept on the toes.  Some doctors use a 0 to 4+ scale and use 4.5+ (sustained clonus) instead of 5+.

0, 4+, and 5+ are abnormal and indicate neurological problems.
Hyperactive reflexes usually indicate a problem (lesion) in the spinal cord.  You may hear this being called an Upper Motor Neuron Sign. Or the doctor may find hyperactive reflexes and diagnosis Myelopathy (disease of the spinal cord). This is one of the most freqently abnormal tests on the neurological exam in a person with MS.
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Now that makes sense as to why i was kicking the neuro hard enough for him to loose his balance (he he) and why the rest of my left leg muscles where spasming, like a ripple up my leg, ahhh its got a name " spreading reflex". I knew i had clonus, thought i had asymetrical hyper reflex because when he set off the clonus, my foot kept jerking and jerking from my ankle. Its hard to recall if it only stopped after my leg was completely straight, the muscles responded in hard thumps, rippling up to my groin and the feeling of being tasered was doing my head in. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The right leg didn't respond anything like the left one did, he only tested the right leg once and moved back to the left, repeating over and over and over and over etc etc. Still wasn't evidence for that neuro because within 5 minutes he was telling me i didn't have a neurological disease lol neuro 1 = twit, neuro 2 = tosser, my fingers are crossed that neuro 3 hasn't left his brains at home.

Cheers......JJ

[summerluvr]

Not MS but...

I had assymetrical hyper/ jerking in one leg. Same as JJ, neuro kept coming back in rechecking it, with me laying down sitting up, and squeezing my hands together and it was the same jerking everytime.  I also couldn't hold my leg up against pressure and some other stuff.  He told me I did not have neurolgical issues.  not long after I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a rare blood cancer), and had a rarer presentation of this, because my my nerves were getting affected from lack of bloodflow.   Now I have lack of reflexes (knee reflexes) because I have peripheral neuropathy in both legs. Or as my doctor calls it "numbness" I said what numbness, and he did the tuning fork test and the knee hammer with no response

[Quixotic1]

Summer - that first neuro was a total twit - brainless, useless.

How are you doing by the way?

JJ - Why are you still without a diagnosis??  Do you want me to FedEx you one??

Q

[Sumanadevii]

Quix,

Thank you for explaining.  Next time my neuro starts hitting me with a hammer, I will know what she is doing!!!  lol...I had no idea.

[twopack]

Perhaps we should start hitting some of the neuros with a hammer?  JK!!!

Mary

[supermum_ms]

Hey Mary, i'd be up for that, line en up and let me at them!!!

JJ

[supermum_ms]

Yipeee, i'll take that fedexed dx, could you wrap it in a bow and get it to blow rasberries whilst singing dixi.lol

cheers.......JJ

[twopack]

You know Dixie in Australia!?!?

Of course you do.  Southern hemisphere, right?

Mary

[summerluvr]

I'm doing ok... in remission after my stem cell tranplant in June!  Takes a long time to get my stamina back but I'm feeling a lot better compared to last year at this time! I have what they call "very good response" to my stem cell. I have some lingering nerve things, like my vision, which probaly won't get better but at least I know what it's from now!  Some new things, the neuropathy in my legs, but the vertigo and stuff from the anemia and out of whack blood is gone .  I'm dealing with more mental stuff now, coming to terms with a serious illness, and all the changes to plans etc.  It's tough! Not working now, not sure when I'll go back just trying to do a little more each day