Babinski reflex test

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LookInWord

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Anyone have a positive one? how important its this reflex? my finances its normal.... But I know that might not mean much. We scheduled for more blood work today to check his CPK levels, they went from 11K, 9K down to 5,500..... his thighs are not sore anymore, but knowing the cpl levels going down sum how makes us feel a tad bit better.
 
Re: babinski

Hi,

I don't think I have ever chatted with you here on the forum, regardless hello and Merry Christmas coming up :) Babinskis is a reflex and if positive is significant to diagnosing Upper Motor Neuron dysfunction. I would say 99% of ALS patients have Babinski being that it is in the clinical diagnostic criteria for ALS and PLS definitely. The fact that your fiances reflex is normal is very good sign. Most neuros differentiate between normally brisk reflexes and pathologically brisk reflexes by the Babinski. The fact that the CPK levels are going down is a very good sign. It means that there was a significant injury to the muscles but is now getting better. CPK values are not reliably indicative whether high or low for ALS being that if you fall and hurt yourself then that could spike a CPK.

I hope this helps. Just noticed that you wanted to know who all had a Babinski. There are a ton of ALS patients on this forum and every single one would post here with yes they have a positive Babinski just saving them some time:)
 
Re: babinski

hi look in..i got the umneuron syndrome...and i am quite proud to say i have a babinski and a half...crunched toes..the reaction goes all the way up my left leg and then up half the left side of my stomach..i dont normally like to boast!..........there are loads of things that can cause babinski...good luck johnny..merry xmas
 
Re: babinski

My sister has had positive Babinski for almost six months now, presented with some weakness in legs-- but NO neuro damage after EMG and MRI, etc. Her neurologist has no answers, still some weakness but getting better-- point is, she presented with definite Babinski which sent us all into a tail-spin thinking "Babinski must mean something serious." But so far, so good as far as no MND and no further progression of symptoms. Sometimes we just never find out the "Why?"
 
Re: babinski

Babinski sign can come and go (according to one neurologist of mine). Sometimes, if it is present on one side but not the other, it could be indicative of early stage MS (according to journals I've read - someone kick me if I'm off on this!). It also could depend on the doctor's interpretation of the reflex. What one may see as Babinski present, another may not. There are other neurological signs that could point to UMN trouble. If you have more than one present (Hoffman, Stransky, jaw jerk, etc...), it is more likely you have something awry with your upper motor neurons. The Babinski with me has been noted one sided, bilaterally, not at all and back to one-sided by different neuros.

Some of the more noted symptoms/signs of upper motor neuron trouble are progressive stiffness, hyperreflexia, cramping and progressive weakness. Lovely things to experience on a daily basis!

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood, folks!
 
Very true Zaphoon...babinski and brisk reflexes are commonly seen in MS patients.
 
Hi, I'm new to posting to this forum (have been reading it since April), and though I was told that I have ALS by one neuro, my current neuro still hasn't said definitely that I have it.

In a nutshell, I have foot drop in my left foot, muscle weakness (alot in my left leg, some in my right getting worse), have had 3 emgs, a spinal, 4 mri's, etc. So it would seem that I have it... But I have no response on Babinsky, and IF I do have it, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast (thankfully!). I don't really have much fasticulations either, after I started taking a lot of Co-Q-10, vitamin D, and more... I'm just really tired, achy, lower back pain (problems with syciatic nerve and sprained left ankle for more than 17 years). I can't walk upstairs without pulling up with my arms, my back is feeling really weak as well, and used a walker at the mall for the first time the other day (lucky my kids weren't with me, they'd be mortified!)

My Dad had weak legs for 20+ years before he passed away, could it be possibly something inherited from him? No diagnosis on him, I remember we just kept saying if you got off the couch, your legs wouldn't be so weak. Wish that were really true, poor guy! One brother has Ulcerative Colitis, another has RA, and my Mom has Essential Tremors. I think all this started with a weird case of the flu in Aug 2008, that in retrospect may have been a Lyme attack, though I keep testing negative on that as well.

My question is, do all ALS patients have a positive Babinsky? What does it mean that neither of my feet have NO reaction. My fingers have been tested as well, and no response indicating anything wrong. I have hyper responses on the knee jerk thing. I'm still waiting for test results for Lyme (Western Blot) and for Cushings Syndrome, and have had inflammation in my system for more than 2 years now... it just doesn't seem to fit the protocol (if there is one) on the timeframes that ALS takes. What do you folks think? If I'm remembering properly, I don't have conduction block on the emg, and it indicates motor neuron problem... MRIs ruled out MS... spine specialist said no to spinal problem.... though I'm not sure if past nerve damage is visible on an MRI? Also, with foot drop, can you move your toes at all? I have more trouble moving them up, but still can grip the floor.

I'm sorry this is so long. Thank you for your thoughts and comments, I appreciate the fact that I've now joined a club that no one wants to be in... I keep reading about people who are afraid they have ALS (and mostly don't), compared to me, who got the diagnosis really quick, and is afraid that it's true. Thanks again all, and have Merry Christmas!
 
Hi Helen
I cant answer all your questions, but will attempt. Sorry if I miss stiff out. If I do just ask again! By No response on babinski, I gather that means no upwards going or downwards going response? An absent babinski can be considered within a normal range. Upwards points to a UMN problem, downwards is normal
Hyperreflexia ia a bit of a subjective test which can change depending on the neurologists perspective and the level of the persons anxiety.
With foot drop you may still have full use of your toes. Foot drop is nothing to do with your tose but rather damage to the nerves in your lower leg eg peroneal nerve damage.

If you want to start another thread with queries rather than tagging in on this one, you may get a bigger response , as people may only read the new ones.
nice talking to you and feel free to ask away. we always do our best to ask queries.
Merry upcoming Christmas
aly
 
i said crunched toes...silly me...upgoing i meant.....johnnythick
 
Thank you Aly! I've never been sure if it was a good thing that my feet don't respond at all, and got a little carried away with my initial post... I'll collect my thoughts and post them in a new thread.
Helen
 
i have a very positive babinski..............toes fan out and big toe sticks up.
once they did it down the inner side of my foot and my leg went beserk quivering which the neuro and nurse found amazing to watch.
having said that my feet get cold sometimes and if they try to do it when my feet are freezing then there is no reaction.
so if your feet are cold they need to warm them up first or they may get a false negative result.
 
My left foot/lower leg (the bad one) is always colder than the right foot! I use an aromatherapy sack filled with herbs and microwave it every night when I go to bed. Its wonderful! My kids all fight over the extra ones and use them as well. Its so hard for me to walk up and down the stairs in my victorian house that I got an extra microwave and put it in my room to use just for this.

My feet have no reaction even in a hot tub, but the color of my left foot is always darker than my "good" foot... and several of the toes are often itchy and painful. Is this common for anyone else? When I looked into this, it seems more like gout or something.

Helen
 
Learn to keep those knees bent to avoid those charlie horse cramps that last several days...yikes!

Remember that when they do strike, you must let the calf cramp before it will release. Stroking it up to the knees will help it finish.
 
Thankfully, I haven't been getting many charlie horses lately, since I started taking daily doses of Vit D and Co-Q-10... not sure which one is helping, or maybe one of the others I'm taking, but not as bad as they were last year. I can't believe how painful they are!
 
I dont know what your abilities are, but when i was a kid i used to get charlie horses all the time. the only thing that would help me was if i would lay on my back and push with my feet against a wall as hard as i could.
obviously this wasnt an ALS issue, but i was just thinking maybe it could help if youre still able to do so.
 
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