Super_sally888, dreamyeyes, sllowe, Quixotic1, Super_sally888, pennst8r, LLW, DrAbhijeetMD, Caliber2005, DrGodofredoMD, Super_sally888, heather3418

To all of you I may have offended a few days ago, my sincerest apologies go out to you.  I am currently weaning myself off my two antidepressants per my GP...Sometimes I find myself taking things a little personal and mouthing off without thinking first.  Again I am so sorry.

I have another question, and maybe this has been asked before, but I really do no recall it.

Babinski Reflex???Neurological?
Is a Babinski reflex always a sign of Neurological problems? I see that it is abnormal to have one after the age of 2. It is even more abnormal to have one in one foot and not the other. I have been tested for the babinski reflex by my GP and my Neuro, and I have it only in my right foot? What does this mean?

I read the following earlier:
A Babinski response in an older child or adult is abnormal. It is a sign of a problem in the central nervous system (CNS), most likely in a part of the CNS called the pyramidal tract.

Asymmetry of the Babinski response -- when it is present on one side but not the other -- is abnormal. It is a sign not merely of trouble but helps to lateralize that trouble (tell which side of the CNS is involved).

In lamens term, or in my case idiot term, what do they mean by this?

[Quixotic1]

Ahhh...the madness of meds!  I really understand the emotional lability that comes not just with +/- meds but also MS, and other neurological diseases themselves.

A Positive Babinski response (upward movement of the great toe with noxious stimulus applied to the proper part of the sole of the foot) is always abnormal after infancy (around 2 years).  Being bilateral is no better than just being on one side.  I don't understand the reason someone would say different.  Yes, a positive Babinski is a sign of a problem in the central nervous system, spine or brain.  It is a clear indication that something is wrong centrally, so the diagnosis purely of Peripheral Neuropathy would not be correct.   I can't explain the "why it works that way" of either the Babinski or the Hoffman signs, so....don't ask.

Because the general (and sometimes exact) location of where the different nerves run, on each side of the body and from the brain, the side of the Babinski being abnormal can tell you which side of the CNS to look at, but the problem is that it could be on many different levels.  A spinal problem will cause a Babinski, but so will certain types of brain lesions.  In the spine the problem will be on the same side as the + sign, but in the brain it will be on the opposite side.  In MS, it really doesn't matter.

Also because some symptoms can appear and disappear in MS, so can some physical signs, like the Babinski.

For the people in the Land of Limbo having positive physical findings, like a + Babinski, is proof that the doc's should look further.  Too often these signs are rejected by dense docs and they still say the problem is psychiatric.

Quix

[thester6474]

Thanks so much for your comment...I appreciate all the advice I get on here, without it, I just do not know if I would be able to cope.

[Momzilla]

We've all offended someone on the forum lately....

Babinski seems so sinister to me.  Do not dismiss it.  Pursue it.  Good luck and feel well.

Meds do mess you up when titrating up or down sometimes.  I'm sorry you felt the need to apologize.  Hate that feeling.  Feel better,

Zilla*