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patellar reflex

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | 319 words | Copyright

patellar reflex (knee jerk) n. reflex contraction of the quadriceps (thigh) muscle, so that the leg kicks, elicited in a patient sitting with one leg crossed over the other by tapping the tendon of the muscle below the kneecap. The reflex is absent, reduced, or exaggerated when the spinal cord is damaged or diseased.

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