Animal Chiropractic Module 3 – Cervical Practice Test

The panniculus reflex is a cutaneous reflex where stimulating the skin elicits a twitch of the panniculus (cutaneous trunci) muscle along the thoracolumbar region. It tests the integrity of the spinal cord segments and their nerve roots that innervate this area, so a normal response shows these pathways are functioning. If the reflex is absent or abnormal, it suggests a problem somewhere along the spinal cord or with the nerve roots involved in that reflex arc, which helps localize a potential lesion and assess overall spinal cord health. In a cervical spinal assessment, this reflex is still useful as part of a broader spinal screen; an abnormal panniculus reflex can indicate that spinal involvement may extend beyond the cervical level or that there is more widespread myelopathy, influencing diagnostic and treatment considerations. Other reflexes described here involve different targets and pathways: the eyelid reflex tests cranial nerve pathways, the patellar tendon reflex tests a knee stretch reflex, and the tongue reflex involves the tongue muscles and its own neural control.