The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In normal adults the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward response (extension) of the hallux is known as Babinski response, Babinski sign, or Koch sign, named after Joseph Babinski (1857–1932), a French neurologist of Polish origin. The presence of the Babinski sign can identify disease of the spinal cord and brain in adults, and also exists as a primitive reflex in infants.
Read more about Plantar Reflex: Methods, Interpretation, Relationship To Hoffmann Reflex, Babinski-like Responses
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—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881)