Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Standing Neurophysiological Assessment of Lower Extremity Muscles Post-Stroke
Published on: July 26, 2021
Reliability of soleus H-reflexes in standing and walking post-incomplete spinal cord injury
Chetan P Phadke1, Floyd J Thompson, Mark H Trimble
1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601, USA. chetan.phadke@queensu.ca
Objective:
To establish the reliability of soleus H-reflex in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) during the standing and the swing and stance phases of overground walking.
Methods:
Fourteen SCI (40 +/- 10 years) and eight noninjured subjects (32 +/- 9 years) participated. The noninjured and SCI subjects walked at self-selected speed overground. H-reflexes in the soleus muscle (at M-wave 7%-13% maximum-M) were tested on two separate days by stimulating the tibial nerve. Intraclass correlation coefficients (two-way mixed model-ICC (1, 2)) and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated.
Results:
Relative reliability of the H-reflexes was good to excellent; intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.64-0.91 in noninjured and SCI subjects. SEM expressed as percentage of the mean H-reflex was 13%-62% in noninjured and 12%-18% in SCI individuals.
Conclusions:
H-reflexes can be reliably assessed in standing and walking in post-SCI and noninjured subjects.
Significance:
H-reflexes can be reliably used in longitudinal studies to investigate mechanisms of recovery post-SCI.
More Related Videos
14:55Methods to Quantify Pharmacologically Induced Alterations in Motor Function in Human Incomplete SCI
Published on: April 18, 2011
08:40Isokinetic Robotic Device to Improve Test-Retest and Inter-Rater Reliability for Stretch Reflex Measurements in Stroke Patients with Spasticity
Published on: June 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Reflex Activity
A reflex exam is a diagnostic procedure performed by a healthcare professional to evaluate the functionality of a patient's...
Somatic Spinal Reflexes
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology
Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology