Standardization of the Jendrassik maneuver in Achilles tendon tap reflex

OBJECTIVE: For many decades, the Jendrassik maneuver (JM) has been used as a reinforcement for stretch reflexes, although the underlying mechanism of this reinforcement is still not fully understood. Moreover, the term JM has been used for many different muscle contraction strategies as there is no fixed movement for the maneuver in the literature. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of clenched hand pull, teeth clenching, and their combined effects to reach standardization. METHODS: Achilles tendon tap reflex responses in the soleus were recorded during rest (R), hand pull (HP), teeth clench (TC), and HP + TC combined, hereafter referred to as the JM. RESULTS: Reflex response amplitudes significantly increased during JM, HP, and TC in the soleus. HP and JM significantly changed the background activity in the soleus, but TC alone did not. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that dominantly presynaptic disinhibitory mechanisms may be responsible for the increase in the tendon tap reflex during HP, TC, and JM. SIGNIFICANCE: Because the findings indicate that HP increases the background activity of the soleus, we suggest that researchers should use only TC during the Jendrassik maneuver to avoid any confounding background activity change.