II. Technique
- Patient pronates hand with fingers extended and relaxed
- Examiner holds the patient's pronated hand, and supports the middle finger below the DIP joint
- Examiner quickly presses or flicks down on the Fingernail region of the middle finger
III. Findings: Abnormal (Positive Hoffman Sign)
- Involuntary flexion and adduction (opposition) of the thumb
- Other fingers may also flex (e.g. index finger)
IV. Causes: Abnormal Reflex
- Normal finding in 3% of U.S. population (typically present bilaterally in these patients)
- Upper Motor Neuron Lesion (Corticospinal tract)
V. References
- Degowin and Degowin (1987) Bedside Diagnostic Exam, Macmillan Publishing, New York, p. 820
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Concepts | Finding (T033) |
| MSH | D012021 |
| SnomedCT | 74229007 |
| English | Hoffmann's sign, Digital reflex, Reflex, Hoffman's, Hoffman reflex, hoffman's reflex, hoffmann's sign, hoffmann's signs, Hoffman's reflex, Hoffman's reflex (observable entity), Hoffman's Reflex |
| Italian | Segno di Hoffmann, Riflesso di Hoffmann |
| Japanese | ホフマン徴候, ﾎﾌﾏﾝﾁｮｳｺｳ |
| French | Réflexe digital, Réflexe de Hoffmann, Signe de Hoffmann |
| Czech | Hoffmanovo znamení, Hoffmanův reflex |
| Spanish | reflejo de Hoffman (entidad observable), signo de Hoffmann, reflejo digital, reflejo de Hoffman, signo de Hoffmann (entidad observable), Signo de Hoffmann |
| Hungarian | Hoffmann-tünet |
| Norwegian | Hoffmanns refleks |
| Portuguese | Sinal de Hoffmann |
| Dutch | symptoom van Hoffmann |
| German | Hoffmann's Zeichen |
