What is a knee jerk reaction to a problem?

If you call someone’s response to a question or situation a knee-jerk reaction, you mean that they react in a very predictable way, without thinking. [disapproval] The knee-jerk reaction to this is to call for proper security in all hospitals.

Where do we get the phrase knee jerk reaction 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.

Is knee jerk one word?

Around 1876, the sudden involuntary extension of the leg in response to a light blow just below the knee, which is also known as the patellar reflex, was given the refreshingly simple designation knee jerk. In the 1950s, knee-jerk became an adjective with a figurative sense that doesn’t require any actual twitching.

What is the purpose of the knee-jerk 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.

How does the knee-jerk reflex protect the body?

This is a reflex of proprioception which helps maintain posture and balance, allowing to keep one’s balance with little effort or conscious thought. The patellar reflex is a clinical and classic example of the monosynaptic reflex arc.

What is knee jerker?

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 the opposite of knee-jerk?

Antonyms for knee-jerk. nonmechanical.

What is a knee-jerk approach?

If you call someone’s response to a question or situation a knee-jerk reaction, you mean that they react in a very predictable way, without thinking.

Which term is synonymous with a knee jerk reaction?

•automatic response (noun) pavlovian response, involuntary impulse, gut reaction, absence of thought.

Why does the doctor taps your knee with a hammer?

A reflex can be decreased or absent if there is a problem with the nerve supply. To test your reflexes, your doctor will use a rubber hammer to tap firmly on the tendon. If certain reflexes are decreased or absent, it will show what nerve might be compressed. Not all nerve roots have a reflex associated with them.

What’s another word for knee-jerk reaction?

In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for knee-jerk, like: involuntary impulse, predictable, knee-jerk reflex, automatic, expected, reflex, spontaneous, automatic response, knee-jerk reaction, patellar-reflex and nanny-state.