The effects of skin brushing on H reflex amplitude in normal human subjects

Leslie Wood*, D. Joyce Nicol, Christina E. S. Thulin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Experiments were performed on twenty-two neurologically normal subjects in order to investigate the effects of skin brushing on H reflex excitability in triceps surae. H reflex amplitude was observed to decrease during brushing of a 2 cm x 10 cm area of skin overlying triceps surae, returning to control levels when brushing ceased. Alterations in the duration of the brushing period did not affect the magnitude of the H reflex inhibition, although increased frequency of brush strokes per minute slightly increased the amount of inhibition observed. Brushing of smaller skin areas overlying the muscle only sometimes resulted in H reflex inhibition. Brushing over other skin areas of the lower limb produced only slight effects on triceps surae H reflex amplitude. Removal of cutaneous input from the skin overlying triceps surae abolished any effects of brushing in this area on H reflex amplitude. These results demonstrate an inhibitory effect of brushing on H reflex excitability in normal subjects. If such results are confirmed in subjects with neurological deficit, they could have implications for the use of brushing in clinical practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-183
Number of pages9
JournalExperimental Physiology
Volume83
Issue number2
Early online date1 Mar 1998
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Physiology (medical)

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