What does knee-jerk mean?
readily predictable
Definition of knee-jerk (Entry 1 of 2) : readily predictable : automatic knee-jerk reactions also, disapproving : reacting in a readily predictable way The man was such a bleeding-heart knee-jerk liberal that you could predict the rest of the column after reading the first sentence. —
Where did the term knee-jerk come from?
The expression ‘knee jerk reaction’ comes from medicine, where the jerking motion the knee makes when tapped is called the patellar reflex. First seen in print in 1877, it became common in the early 20th century.
What is the knee-jerk an example of?
Doctors will test reflexes by tapping the tendon just below the knee, and this causes the leg to kick out. This knee-jerk reflex is an example of a simple monosynaptic reflex.
Is knee-jerk reaction slang?
The idiom “a knee jerk reaction” means that you respond to something in an equally unthinking way. If you instinctively assume that someone who loves clowns wouldn’t have much in common with you, that’s a knee jerk, or automatic, reaction.
Which term is synonymous with a knee jerk reaction?
In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for knee-jerk, like: involuntary impulse, predictable, automatic, expected, reflex, spontaneous, knee-jerk reaction, knee-jerk reflex, automatic response, patellar-reflex and nanny-state.
Why do doctors test knee reflex?
Medical author Dr Janice Rachel Mae explains that doctors routinely use reflex tests to check if there are any problems in the nervous system involved in movement, nerve functioning or health of the connective tissue in the knee or leg.
Does the knee-jerk reflex involve the brain?
The normal knee-jerk reflex involves no input to or from the brain. The normal knee-jerk or, “patellar jerk,” reflex is elicited when the knee is tapped below the knee cap (patella). Sensors that detect stretching of the tendon of this area send electrical impulses back to the spinal cord.
What is the opposite of knee-jerk?
Antonyms for knee-jerk. nonmechanical.
What causes a knee-jerk reflex?
The normal knee-jerk or, “patellar jerk,” reflex is elicited when the knee is tapped below the knee cap (patella). Sensors that detect stretching of the tendon of this area send electrical impulses back to the spinal cord.
Why is knee-jerk reflex important?
In reaction these muscles contract, and the contraction tends to straighten the leg in a kicking motion. Exaggeration or absence of the reaction suggests that there may be damage to the central nervous system. The knee jerk can also be helpful in recognizing thyroid disease.
What causes knee-jerk reflex?
What does knee jerk mean?
Knee-jerk reflex, also called patellar reflex, sudden kicking movement of the lower leg in response to a sharp tap on the patellar tendon, which lies just below the kneecap. In reaction these muscles contract, and the contraction tends to straighten the leg in a kicking motion.
What is another word for knee jerk?
patellar reflex The knee-jerk reflex, also known as the patellar reflex, is a simple reflex that causes the contraction of the quadriceps muscle when the patellar tendon is stretched. Does the knee jerk reflex involve the brain? The normal knee-jerk or, “patellar jerk,” reflex is elicited when the knee is tapped below the knee cap (patella).
What happens during a knee jerk reflex?
Pick a sport,any sport – and practise. What exactly do you want to improve your reflexes for?
What does she mean by knee jerk reaction?
knee-jerk reaction Fig. an automatic or reflex reaction; an immediate reaction made without examining causes or facts. With one of his typical knee-jerk reactions, he said no immediately, citing some moral argument that no one understood. See also: reaction