Tendon reflex

Tendon reflex (or T-reflex) may refer to:

• The stretch reflex or muscle stretch reflex (MSR), when the stretch is created by a blow upon a muscle tendon. This is the commonly used definition of the term.^[1][2] Albeit a misnomer, in this sense a common example is the standard patellar reflex or knee-jerk response.^[3] Stretch reflex tests are used to determine the integrity of the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, and they can be used to determine the presence of a neuromuscular disease.^[4]

The term "deep tendon reflex", if it refers to the muscle stretch reflex, is a misnomer. "Tendons have little to do with the response, other than being responsible for mechanically transmitting the sudden stretch from the reflex hammer to the muscle spindle. In addition, some muscles with stretch reflexes have no tendons (e.g., "jaw jerk" of the masseter muscle)".^[5]

• The Golgi tendon reflex, which is a reflex to extensive tension on a tendon; it functions to protect musculoskeletal integrity. The sensory receptors for this reflex are anatomically located deep in the tendon, while the sensory receptors for the MSR are inside the muscle. Therefore, the Golgi tendon reflex can be referred to as the deep tendon reflex.