Reflex Reflections: Basic Information about Reflexes

Preface about Primitive Reflexes

Nature provides each person with a set of involuntary patterns that start before birth and aid development. The Infant Reflex Patterns are automatic motor responses to sensory triggers. Changes in the sensory environment activate an involuntary patterned motor response. These early motor responses start working in utero as the sensory-motor systems of the fetus develop.

As each motor response is activated and sustained, the Upper Brain learns to direct the muscles involved and takes over voluntary control of the muscles that are used in the infant reflex patterns. The Upper Brain takes over, inhibits, and integrates the infant reflexes. Most early infant reflexes are typically inhibited by six months of age. Integration comes with voluntary use of the reflex patterns. Inhibition and integration of primitive reflexes does not mean that the reflexes are gone; these patterns remain stored in the brainstem and midbrain, coming forward as needed to protect and restore development during trauma.

Reflex Reflections: Basic Information about Spinal Galant Reflex 3/3

In this entry, checks for persistent and hypoactive Spinal Galant Reflex will be discussed.

CHECKING SPINAL GALANT REFLEX

OBSERVATION

In hyperactive Spinal Galant Reflex, you may see the following

·       May not be able to sit still in a chair

·        May often appear antsy

·       May have tactile issues, such as being bothered by waistbands or food textures or may not like to touch paper or wool.

·       Enuresis (bed wetting) is also possible. Rapid onset of needing to urinate is common

·       Spinal and back issues such as scoliosis are possible. 

·       Shoulders and/or hips may be very sensitive and protected.

In Hypoactive Spinal Galant, you may see the following:

·       Inflexible trunk

·       May be hold pelvis heavily with less movement.

·       Bodily liquids and lymph may collect, especially at lower joints

CHECKS FOR SPINAL GALANT REFLEX

This reflex can be checked with person on the side, stomach, or hands and knees. Checking on each sides of the body appears to yield the most refined results. 

·       Client is on side with a pillow under head if necessary. 

·       With the thumb, index finger, or pen top, start at the side of the spine at the base of the neck.

·       Staying close to the spine and at a medium speed, draw the finger or pen top down the back to the base of the spine. This may be repeated on the side as well.

·       The check can be repeated 1 to 3 repetitions. It may lessen with consecutive checks in a short period of time. Also, a client may try to control the reaction by stiffening the back muscles.

Observation: 

·       Watch the hips and shoulders.

·       At 100% retention, a strong contraction will pull the shoulder and hip towards each other.

·       Lesser levels of retention will look like a twitch in the hip or perhaps the shoulder. 

Rarely, one side will be retained and the other not. This is usually because of persistent ATNR on one side.

A Story of Spinal Galant Reflex and Healing

Nan was a nervous young woman. She had severe scoliosis. She was very defensive and protective or herself. She wore a padded vest over a long jumper. 

I spent extra time talking about the nature of reflexes and how they are not conscious and that a person is not responsible for feelings that arise from sensory overload. I spent this time because this was a person unaware that much of her anxiety and tension was because of persistent primitive reflexes. She might have taken statements as a critique of her character instead of statements of physiological fact about her nervous system.

Her check was done on the hands and knees and was extremely high in persistence. The tactile experience of the check itself was overwhelming to her. I let her rest and drink some water before continuing.

In the end, after three sessions for tone patterning and other activities, her entire demeanor changed. She was calmer and much less defensive. She could wear clothing that was lighter and could expose more skin in hot weather. Best of all, the scoliosis she had suffered since a child had begun to reverse.

For more information about the Spinal Galant or other reflexes, contact Janet Oliver for an online mentoring session. These sessions can be lengths of 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Check at www.planforlearning.com for description, costs and contact information.

Reflex Reflections: Basic Information about Spinal Galant Reflex 2/3

Preface about Primitive ReflexesNature provides each person with a set of involuntary patterns that start before birth and aid development. The Infant Reflex Patterns are automatic motor responses to sensory triggers. Changes in the sensory environment activate an involuntary patterned motor response. These early motor responses start working in utero as the sensory-motor systems of the fetus develop.

As each motor response is activated and sustained, the Upper Brain learns to direct the muscles involved and takes over voluntary control of the muscles that are used in the infant reflex patterns. The Upper Brain takes over, inhibits, and integrates the infant reflexes. Most early infant reflexes are typically inhibited by six months of age. Integration comes with voluntary use of the reflex patterns. Inhibition and integration of primitive reflexes does not mean that the reflexes are gone; these patterns remain stored in the brainstem and midbrain, coming forward as needed to protect and restore development during trauma.

Spinal Galant (2 of 3)

In the last entry, the history, description, development, and persistence of the Moro Reflex were described.

DEVELOPMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS OF SPINAL GALANT RELFLEX

An inhibited Spinal Galant Reflex acts as a spinal buffer of tactile information throughout the body. This buffer allows for tactile information throughout the body to be habituated. A mature nervous system needs to be able to adapt to regular touch. It is not advantageous for our brain to be made aware of all things that touch us, like clothing, furniture, hats, glasses, etc. Awareness of touch for all things in the regular environment interferes with attention to important information.

 An inhibited Spinal Galant Reflex guarantees that tactility must reach a certain threshold to gain attention. If the Spinal Galant Reflex is persistent, the buffer of tactile information is not available, making more tactile information getting into the brain. Often persistence results in a person who is not able to habituate or get used to things touching him or her. 

ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH SPINAL GALANT REFLEX PERSISTENCE

Spinal Galant Reflex that has been hyperactively retained has been associated with tactile sensitivity, impulsiveness, bedwetting, and lack of differentiation. Extreme ticklishness is associated with retention; however normal ticklishness is not. 

Hyperactive Response Because of the activating nature of the Spinal Galant Reflex, hyperactive responses activate the autonomic nervous system and the adrenal functioning.  This can manifest into a system that has trouble enervating through the parasympathetic response.  In other words, self-calming and differentiation of response is more difficult.  Sitting still and static postures are more difficult to sustain.  Wetting (enuresis) is also associated with retention of this reflex. 

Hypoactivity in this response can appear as a lack of tone in trunk and hip area. A person with hypoactive Spinal Galant Reflex appears as ‘unfeeling’, because our sense of touch is one system that helps us to understand how others are feeling.

Hypoactive Response In the hypo-active side, lymph and liquid pooling is more common.  Usually the Perez Reflex is also hypo-active and can affect the cerebral spinal fluid pump at the base of the spine.  The lower back muscles can be low in tone.  Usually the other core reflex patterns are hypo-active as well.

RELATED REFLEX PATTERNS

Other reflexes can keep the Spinal Galant Reflex from inhibition and integration such as Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) and Perez Reflex.

For more information about the Moro or other reflexes, contact Janet Oliver for an online mentoring session. These sessions can be lengths of 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Check at www.planforlearning.com for description, costs and contact information.

Basics of Spinal Galant Reflex 1 of 3

Reflex Reflections: Basic Information about Spinal Galant

Preface about Primitive Reflexes

Nature provides each person with a set of involuntary patterns that start before birth and aid development. The Infant Reflex Patterns are automatic motor responses to sensory triggers. Changes in the sensory environment activate an involuntary patterned motor response. These early motor responses start working in utero as the sensory-motor systems of the fetus develop.

As each motor response is activated and sustained, the Upper Brain learns to direct the muscles involved and takes over voluntary control of the muscles that are used in the infant reflex patterns. The Upper Brain takes over, inhibits, and integrates the infant reflexes. Most early infant reflexes are typically inhibited by six months of age. Integration comes with voluntary use of the reflex patterns. Inhibition and integration of primitive reflexes does not mean that the reflexes are gone; these patterns remain stored in the brainstem and midbrain, coming forward as needed to protect and restore development during trauma.

Spinal Galant Reflex (1 of 3)

HISTORY

The Spinal Galant Reflex was discovered and described by Johann Sussmann Galant, a Russian doctor who studied medicine in Basel Switzerland in 1917.

The Spinal Galant Reflex activates through a touch along the spine or side of an infant.  The infant responds by flexing the deep abdominal muscles away from the stimuli. This reflex appears 4 to 5 months in utero and is integrated between 3 to 12 months. After the first year, the activity of the Spinal Galant Reflex is usually considered abnormal.

DEVELOPMENT

In typical development, Spinal Galant is activated during birth, to aid the infant movement down the birth canal. It also may help to keep infants away from threatening environmental objects. Birth stresses, such as long births or C-sections, can increase chances of hyper or hypo activity of the Spinal Galant reflex pattern. 

 As the side of the infant touches each side of the birth canal, the Spinal Galant Reflex creates a ‘wiggle worm’ effect in the back.

SENSORY TRIGGERS FOR SPINAL GALANT REFLEX

Tactility along the spine and sides of the body is the trigger. If the reflex is persistent, the sense of touch can be highly elevated or if hypoactive, the sense of touch can be low.

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For more information about the Spinal Galant or other reflexes, contact Janet Oliver for an online mentoring session. These sessions can be lengths of 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Check at www.planforlearning.com for description, costs and contact information.