HYPER REFLEXES, REDWINGS OR SNOOPY YOU OUT THERE?

[Waydwnsouth1]

I have been wondering about this subject since my neuro appt. yesterday. When I visited my neuro, in Sept., to confirm I was having a flare he made a statement that my reflexes were more hyper than usual, especially my left side. On my visit yesterday he said my left side was still hyper but my right side was noticeably more hyper. Like a dummy I did not ask if it should a matter of concern based on the new sx's I have been experiencing.

As a side note he chuckled and said " I know this, I will never forget to stand off to the side when checking your reflexes."

I have tried to research MS & hyper reflexes and Hyperflexia and there are no straight forward answers why hyperreflexes are important to MS'ers? Anyone out there knowledgeable in this area? Would love to hear some opinions on this. Knowledge is everything.

[derrie]

I have hyper -- also sometimes called "brisk" -- reflexes. My neurologist says that brisk reflexes indicate a problem with the spinal cord, as opposed to a problem with the peripheral nerves. My understanding is that, in the context of MS, some people will have hyper reflexes as a result of spinal cord lesions. Also, asymmetrical hyper reflexes (like you have) point to spinal cord problems.

[stalo]

I have VERY brisk reflexes but no spinal lesions. Hmmm. I can get my leg to jump if I slap my thigh! I also have hyper reflexes in my arms. Anybody have any answers? Good question!

[Redwings]

I have tried to research MS & hyper reflexes and Hyperflexia and there are no straight forward answers why hyperreflexes are important to MS'ers?

Hi Waydwnsouth:
I think one reason you weren't able to find straightforward answers about MS and hyper reflexes is that you're researching the topic as if it's a special MS issue. But there's nothing special about hyperreflexia and MS. Hyper reflexes is a neurological sign, and MS is only one of the possible causes.

When hyper reflexes are present, the important thing is to find the cause. When all other causes have been ruled out and the differential points to MS, then what's known about hyper reflexes can be applied to MS. The most common cause of hyper reflexes is a spinal cord injury. (Remember here that a spinal cord injury can be from any cause, not just MS.) So in MS, hyper reflexes can indicate that MS damage exists in the spinal cord. (Hyper reflexes can also be caused by brain damage, although it usually takes a large area of damage such as a stroke or traumatic injury. MS causes brain damage, but not generally of the size needed to cause hyper reflexes.) Hyperreflexia doesn't have any special importance in MS beyond that.

In MS, the expectation is that, if hyperreflexia was a presenting symptom, all of the possible causes for it other than MS were ruled out as part of the workup. But that doesn't always happen.

Hyper reflexes can be caused by other conditions, and a situation can become tricky if two possible causes exist together. One can mask the other. For example, in the case of a person with a spinal cord injury, hyperreflexia from a chemical imbalance or as a side effect of medication might be mistakenly attributed to the injury (especially if it occurs after the injury), or vice versa. That might happen in someone with MS, but it isn't special to MS and isn't more or less important in someone with MS than in anyone else in a similar situation.

[Waydwnsouth1]

Thank you, Derrie and Redwings. Spinal cord is what I was looking for. It has been almost 2 years since the MRI of my spine was done. At the time I showed no lesions. It was done on T1.5 machine and I am not sure that would have been strong enough to pick up any lesions I may had/have.

It is my understanding spinal cord lesions are more difficult to pick up. I have read (cannot remember the source) that it is more advantageous to scan spinal cords with a T3.0 MRI.

Again, thanks for the information. I will try to remember to talk to my neuro about this on my next visit 2 months. away.

[hope32]

Wow, interesting thread! I know the very first MS specialist I saw in 2001 commented that I was hyper-reflexive on my right side but for some reason I always thought it didn't mean much. It has been noted during every neuro exam since then but no one ordered a spinal MRI for me until this past September (and it was "unremarkable"). Hmm. I wonder if I did have a spinal lesion back in 2001 that caused the hyper reflexes (and the bout of spasms I had in May of that year) that just doesn't show up anymore.