The elderly and their ankle jerks.

The ankle jerks of 200 consecutive patients admitted to a geriatric department were assessed on the second or third hospital days by two independent observers. The test consisted of a "plantar" rather than Achilles tendon strike with a standard patellar hammer. 188 patients had ankle jerks. This finding is at variance with most previous reports on the subject. This difference may be due to, amongst other factors, the timing and method of testing.