HOFFMANN'S SIGN OR REFLEX FOR CERVICAL SPONDYLOTIC MYELOPATHY (CSM) Next to fractures, another red flag we have to screen for in the cervical spine is cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), which is an encroachment of the spinal cord at cervical level by degenerative changes (uncinate process and facet joint osteophytosis, ossification or hypertrophy of the posterior longitudinal ligament and the ligamntum flavum or subluxations of the vertebral body). If the spinal cord is compressed, our patie

This is a reflex test. Have your child walk on the outside edges of their feet. Their arms should swing naturally—just like a typical walk. But if the elbows bend, the wrists rotate inward, or the arms stiffen— That’s not poor posture. That’s a retained primitive reflex. Specifically: ATNR Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. It should disappear after infancy. If it’s still firing? It can disrupt movement, attention, even emotional regulation. Want to test it further? Walk with toes turned out like a