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H reflex latency in the healthy elderly

F J Falco¹, W J Hennessey, G Goldberg

¹Georgia Spine & Sports Physicians, Smyrna 30080.

|February 1, 1994

Summary

In elderly individuals, H reflex latency strongly correlates with leg length but not age. Aging increases variability in H reflex latency between legs, impacting diagnostic comparisons.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Gerontology
Physiology

Background:

The H reflex is a valuable electrophysiological tool for assessing nerve function.
Understanding normative H reflex values in aging populations is crucial for accurate clinical interpretation.
Previous studies have focused on younger populations, leaving a gap in knowledge for the elderly.

Purpose of the Study:

To prospectively evaluate the relationship between tibial nerve H reflex latency and factors like age, sex, leg length, and skin temperature in healthy older adults.
To establish normative data for H reflex latency in an elderly cohort.
To determine the upper normal limit for side-to-side H reflex latency differences in this population.

Main Methods:

Bilateral H reflexes were recorded in 103 healthy individuals aged 60-88 years.
Data analysis included correlation coefficients to assess relationships between H reflex latency and demographic/anthropometric variables.
Statistical methods were employed to determine the upper normal limit for inter-limb latency differences.

Main Results:

A significant positive correlation was found between H reflex latency and leg length (r = 0.55, P < 0.05).
No significant correlation was observed between H reflex latency and age.
The upper normal limit for the difference between right and left H reflex latencies was determined to be 1.8 ms, which is larger than in younger populations.

Conclusions:

Leg length is a significant determinant of tibial nerve H reflex latency in the elderly.
Aging appears to increase the variability of H reflex latency between the legs.
Clinical interpretation of side-to-side H reflex latency comparisons in the elderly requires consideration of this increased inter-limb variability to avoid misdiagnosis of unilateral pathology.

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