It may seem like something right out of a movie, but "Did you feel that?" is something that doctors actually utter during visits. This is often something that doctors ask after they have tapped their patients with reflex hammers. The tiny tools are excellent reflex testers.

It is actually something of a rhetorical question because the doctor already knows from the physical response of the patient. Anyone that has actually felt something from percussion hammers will involuntarily kick their foot out. This is the type of effect that these little medical instruments have. They are something like mallets. The end of it is soft, but it is hard enough to get a reaction from a patient.

Everyone does not know the official name for this. Most people simply refer to these as reflex hammers. The official name for these devices is percussion hammers. Few people know this, but most adults can describe or recognize them when they see them.


Patients that react to this tool have good reflexes. Others that cannot raise their leg as it is lightly being struck have some issues with their neurological systems. They are either unable to feel or unable to physically raise their leg in reaction to this light tap.

Over time there have been many improvements in technology. One might wonder why other instruments have not been used to replace the percussion hammers. The fact of the matter is that these medical tools have been used for decades because they work. They have not been replaced because there isn't anything better to test reflexes of patients.

Another reason that percussion hammers have remained popular is the price. On average a simple one can be purchased for around $30. This is one of the lowest cost tools in the medical industry. It's rare to find something that is so simple but so effective. It is also a rare find to discover a tool that has low cost but remains effective for long periods of time.

The best thing about these tools of the medical trade is that they are found just about everywhere. There are some medical tools that are only found in medical supply stores. The reflex hammer is different. This nifty little tool is found in medical supply stores, but it is also carried in cyber stores such as Get Med Online and other Internet retailers. This actually makes it easy for people that are not in the medical field to acquire one.

They are used by doctors, but more people have probably seen them used by actors on television shows. There is something about the percussion hammers that can bring humor to television shows. They seem to be the best things for sitcoms. Tons of older shows have doctors repeatedly using these little tools to test the reflexes of their patients. A couple of kicks to the doctor's groin would typically produce some cheap laughs. This is how many older adults recognize these tools. They are a big part of television sitcom history.