NEUROLOGY EXPERT FORUM
Is this a Babinski response?

Is this a Babinski response?


  Could you please explain what it means when there is no response whatsoever to the stroking of the bottom of the foot.  I understand if the big toe goes up that IS the Babinski sign and it is an abnormal reflex.  
  However, on one foot my toes curl under (normal), but on the other foot there is no response whatsoever.  Also, in the middle of my last EMG my big toe on that side was found to be standing up (it was noticed by the technician during a preparation phase), he asked me if I had ever noticed that before and I couldn't say that I have, although my husband said he had seen it when I am just relaxing with my feet propped up.  I am awaiting the final EMG results and just wondering about this.  Thanks very much.
=
Strictly speaking, the Babinski response is extension of the great toe with fanning out of the smaller toes when the bottom of the foot is stroked a certain way. That response is considered to be never normal, and indicates pyramidal tract dysfunction. There are variations on the test - you can find descriptions of Oppenheimer's, Chaddock's, Bing's signs in older neurology text books, but they all are interpreted in the same way. In English, it means something is wrong with the functional connection from the motor part of the cerebral cortex - either somewhere in the brain itself or in the spinal cord along the way. For technical reasons, this is called the "upper motor neuron."
Normally, the toes go down (plantar flexion)in response to the stimulus. In disorders involving the "lower motor neuron" (for example, compression of a spinal nerve root or any sort of neuropathy), you do NOT get a Babinski sign (upgoing toes). The response may be normal (downgoing) or absent. If the response is absent, it could be that the S1 nerve root or nerves in the lower extremity which derive from that are damaged somehow. The ABSENCE of a toe response is less significant than the presence of the Babinski sign itself.
Not knowing your symptoms, it is impossible to speculate what is happening in your particular situation. Hope this helps. CCF MD mdf.





Related Discussions
Continue discussion Blank
Go
Request an Appointment
MedHelp Health Answers
Submit
Blank
Weight Tracker
Reach your weight goal faster
Start Tracking Now
RSS Expert Activity
1741471_tn?1325586450
Blank
Meditation Benefits- Mindful Based ... Blank
Feb 09 by Michael Gonzalez-WallaceBlank
242604_tn?1328124825
Blank
Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Ovarian C...
Feb 08 by Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.Blank
603463_tn?1220630455
Blank
Screening for Birth Defects in the ...
Feb 04 by Elaine Brown, MDBlank