What does this mean?

[LATW]

Plantors were extensor bilaterally

[supermum_ms]

Hi,

I know what you mean about agitating the docs, not agitating the doc is a part of why i'm in the position I am in, keeping too quiet hasn't worked in my favour in the past. I hadn't been thinking of saying anything to my neuro about it though, there are now a ton of little weird things, i'm sure id be shipped off to the funny farm if i told him everything :)

When i did the test nothing happened so i had a friend do it, he thought it all very strange especially the delayed response. The delayed reaction was one of the odd things that happened during my neurological exam, after testing my legs (i'm sure to check they were made of rubber) my right leg went into spasms from knee to toes. It was very visible, even under my clothes you could see the ripple running up and down my shin. It freaked me a little but the neuro seemed to be intreged by it.

Anyway, my feet have been cramping for years and they always seperate from my big toe, with the other toes locking together and dropping, i probably just put them into a cramp. Its all very fasinating though.

Cheers......JJ

[LATW]

it is a really difficult test to do to yourself.  :-)  I know because I have tried. HA!
Now that I know it is Babinski I will stop torturing myself.

My toes fan out away from my big toe and seem to lock in place but I can easily put them back in a normal position with my hands.  Weird. I can feel the pulling up my leg.

My toes will also take a Babinski position when I am just relaxing with no stimulation to the bottom of my foot. It comes on when I am having spasms in my leg.

I think it would be a difficult issue to bring up with a doctor because you may seem like you are asking for a test to be done and he/she may not take it well

The next time you have an exam maybe you could say Um...I have noticed when the bottom of my foot is rubbed (or something) that my toes separate and it is really odd.

I don't know....so much of this is difficult to bring up with out sounding like you have been hanging out with your net friends.

I personally have kept my lips zipped because I didn't want to agitate the docs. But I have had optic neuritis and an abnormal MRI so I think that probably has made my exams more thorough. Not that it is right or fair but just seems that way because I have not had to bring up much of anything.

Once I got to a REAL MS specialist I didn't have to say anything, my tests said enough I guess.

[supermum_ms]

Dear Quix,

I was a little intregued because my neurologist didn't perform this test and considering i have a lot of symtoms that indicate a probability of a spinal cord lession I thought i'd test my self out of curiousity. I have the same response in both feet, and i'm not sure it indicates anything definitive, does this response seem normal.

A few seconds after testing reflex so a delayed response, my toes seperated from my big toe, then my toes locked together like a cramp but no pain and my big toe raised upwards. I tried it again and the toes drop only a little, mind you my legs are now full pins and needles with the big toes still giving abnormal signals and i didn't read that part of my response would happen so i'm not sure what if anything this indicates, any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Cheers......JJ

PS i didn't intend to high jack the thread but i imagine i'm not the only one trying this out and it may give insight to others too.

[LATW]

Thanks!  I was hoping you'd see this one. thank you.  It is not good news for me but at least it makes sense.  The toes on my right foot flare outward and my big toe moves away from them.

I wish the doctor had talked to me BEFORE the letter. Hope you are doing ok.  

LA

[Quixotic1]

This is totally confusing in medicine.  The plantar reflex is refering to the Babinski.  However, there are several ways of referrring to the movement of the toe.  The most common way is to call the upward movement "dorsiflexion" and the downward movement "plantar flexion".  This refers to bending toward the dorsum (top - think of the dorsal fin of a shark) of the foot and the second bending toward the plantar (sole - think of plantar warts) side of the foot.  So using this you would have a positive Babinski.  This usage is suing "flexion" as synonomous with "bending".

Given what I know about your disability I would bet the ranch that you have a positive Babinski and the first usage is what the doc refers to.

It is a serious sign of upper motor  neuron disease.

Q

[LATW]

Hi,
Yes to everything you asked. I just went to Betaseron 3 weeks ago. I am due to have another MRI in September.

:(  
Well I realize Babinski is a big deal with my other syptoms and ON.  I was considered "at high risk for developing clinical definate MS"  well I have crossed over now.

It does make me sad.  If the doctors I saw had treated me properly in May of 2007 when I first had ON, two brain lesions, and a leg that did not feel like mine maybe I would not be where I am today.

But who knows.
LA

[hbananas]

OK, I read you have been dx since Feb 08 and are on Avonex.  Is the appearance of the Babinski's a new thing?  You already know that you have a damaged central nervous system, which the plantar reflex is a test for.

Are you afraid this means you're getting worse?  Do you have other symptoms that are worsening, and you think maybe the DMDs aren't doing their job?

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.

[LATW]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_reflex#Abnormal_reflex_
seen_as_flexion_of_toes

[LATW]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_reflex#Abnormal_reflex_seen_as_flexion_of_toes

[LATW]

it is ok.  to me this is just major. It is on both sides.  I want to cry..............

[Guitar_grrrl]

Ooops, Sorry...

[LATW]

I am sure wondering..................

[hbananas]

I'm not smarter, but I looked it up iin yahoo, and it looks like you're right.  You have a positive Babinski.

[LATW]

Ok.  This is what we think we've figured out.
If it said Plantors were FLEXOR bilaterally that would be good.
Plantors were EXTENSOR bilaterally is Babinskis.

Someone smarter than me is going to have to help out.

[LATW]

ok. good!

[Guitar_grrrl]

Sounds like negative Babinski's sign to me, and that's good for you!

Guitar_grrrl