GORDON REFLEX

Course overview

GORDON REFLEX, ALSO CALLED THE PARADOXICAL FLEXOR REFLEX, IS A CLINICAL SIGN UTILIZED TO DETECT UPPER MOTOR NEURON LESIONS. EVALUATION OF THIS REFLEX IS SIMPLE AND RAPID AND DOES NOT REQUIRE THE USE OF ANY EQUIPMENT. A POSITIVE GORDON REFLEX SUGGESTS AN UPPER MOTOR NEURON LESION, DENOTED BY AN EXTENSOR PLANTAR RESPONSE THAT OCCURS WHEN THE CALF IS SQUEEZED. A POSITIVE GORDON TEST CAN APPEAR SIMILAR TO A BABINSKI SIGN IN AN ADULT, AND BOTH PROCEDURES EVALUATE FOR UPPER MOTOR NEURON LESIONS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN EVALUATING THE GORDON REFLEX AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND CARE OF PATIENTS WITH UPPER MOTOR NEURON LESIONS.