What is a crossed adduction reflex?
A pathologic “irradiation of reflexes” (i.e., the stretching of distant hyperexcitable muscles through
spread of the stimulus along the bone—a sign of upper motor neuron disease). To elicit it, strike with a
hammer the medial aspect of the patient’s thigh tendon. This will contract the contralateral adductor, briskly moving medially the contralateral knee in a “scissoring” fashion.
A pathologic “irradiation of reflexes” (i.e., the stretching of distant hyperexcitable muscles through
spread of the stimulus along the bone—a sign of upper motor neuron disease). To elicit it, strike with a
hammer the medial aspect of the patient’s thigh tendon. This will contract the contralateral adductor, briskly moving medially the contralateral knee in a “scissoring” fashion.