The Babinski’s Reflex and the Babinski’s Sign

Babinski sign is a crucial neurologic examination based on how the big toe behaves when the foot sole is stimulated. The Babinski reflex happens after the foot’s sole has been resolutely stroked. The big toe then moves up or toward the foot’s top surface. The term Babinski sign and Babinski reflex are sometimes used interchangeably to mean the same thing.

Clinical significance

Most newborn infants are neurologically immature so they usually show a Babinski sign. When the Babinski reflex is present in a 2 years child or in an adult, it is usually a sign of nervous system or brain disorder  like spinal cord injury, meningitis, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, poliomyelitis,  pernicious anemia, syringomyelia, or Friedreich’s ataxia,