Reflexes

The Tendon Guard Reflex

by Mary Rentschler, M. Ed.

H ow do we balance the needs to protect ourselves from danger

and to take risks that facilitate learning? How can we comprehend
When babies lift their heads at two or three months, they activate
their spinal muscles for the first time. Lying on the stomach, they
our lives, the world, and our reading assignments, while keeping learn to arch their backs, and raise and stretch legs and arms. Later,
perspectives that encompass both details and context? The when sitting up, the head-righting reflex emerges. Eventually the
fascinating tendon guard reflex (TGR) is in charge! muscles that permit standing, walking, and posture control develop.
The Green Light TGR, interacting with other reflexes, supports all
Like all reflexes, the TGR has important ramifications for survival/
this growth.
protection and development, as well as both healthy and unhealthy
(hypo- or hyperactive) manifestations. Today, though survival may The mature Green Light Reflex also enables individuals to widen
not often depend on our physical ability to defend ourselves, we do the field of vision, movement, and action, to see the “big picture,”
experience high levels of stress that call forth the TGR. to act and to foresee consequences. Easy contra-lateral movements
usually characterize this state of more relaxed focus, referred to
Under chronic stress, and especially when we have no opportunity
in Brain Gym as “high gear,” the basis for the ability to think and
to dissipate tension by taking action, the reflex can remain active
move simultaneously. If a threatening growl comes out of the dark
beneath our conscious awareness, keeping us either in constant
garage, the Green Light reflex would trigger the flight response.
motion or immobilized in an internal posture of withdrawal and
On the other hand, a familiar voice will cause us to look up, relax,
search for safety.
and move toward it.
The TGR is an automatic whole body reaction to a message from
In children with ADD and ADHD this reflex is hyperactive. The
the brainstem. Under threat, this ancient survival-oriented part of
negative version, excessive widening of the attention span and
the brain mobilizes for our protection. Depending on the nature of
chaotic, uncontrolled, impulsive movement is apparent.
the threat, the body has three choices: freeze, fight, or run away
(take flight). Regulating the TGR
When the TGR sets off a “freeze” response, the body collects its When integrated, both parts of the TGR bring the support of
resources at its core; we bend forward, and stop. In the “fight or good postural dynamics into movement development, sensory
flight” response we straighten in preparation to move. Russian integration, attention, organization, comprehension, and overall
psychologist Svetlana Masgutova, Ph.D. refers to these two versions cognitive development. Individuals with poorly integrated TGRs
of the TGR as the “Red Light” and “Green Light.” are vulnerable to the extremes of the red and green lights:
excessive withdrawal and self-protection or excessive engagement
The “Red Light” TGR and inappropriate risk taking.
The Red Light reflex sets off the “freeze” response by causing the
Structurally, the TGR activates a tendon/muscle/joint system
abdominal, shoulder, and neck muscles to contract. The trigger
comprised of the big toe, the foot tendon, the Achilles tendon, the
can be a sudden, unexpected sound, sight or sensation. Hearing
hamstrings, the sacrum, the spine, various back and neck muscles,
a suspicious noise upon opening the garage door is a perfect
and the occiput. Many children with developmental challenges have
example of something that could trigger a normal Red Light
chronic tension in these tendons and muscles, with accompanying
tendon guard response. We stop in our tracks, hold perfectly
motor/emotional/cognitive issues and, in severe cases, postural
still, quieting the body, while activating vision and hearing to
or structural abnormalities. Children with autism and/or speech
locate possible danger.
delays are often toe walkers with extremely tight calf muscles.
In full maturation the Red Light reflex also supports one’s ability to
Carla Hannaford, author of Smart Moves (see Booklist),
narrow the field of attention, movement, and action, to concentrate
recommends releasing the TGR to develop language in non-verbal
on and analyze details. Such a state of intense focus, referred to
children. Dr. Masgutova teaches parents to lengthen children’s foot
in Brain Gym as “low gear,” is usually characterized by stillness
tendons by massaging the soles and flexing and extending a child’s
or deliberate one-sided movements. In the garage example, we
feet. Another simple intervention is pushing rhythmically on the
would move carefully, analyze the situation, and reach a logical
balls of the feet while a child lies supine on the floor; this activity
conclusion about the source of the noise.
initiates a gentle relaxing movement that rocks the entire body
When the Red Light reflex is over-active, we have its negative from toe to head.
version: an excessively narrow attention field and limited ability to
The TGR is one of many reflexes that respond well to intervention.
act. Behavior becomes compulsive, over-focused on unimportant
Calming it can reset proprioceptors and reeducate muscle-tendon
details. Children who perseverate or shut down often have
systems that habitually contract in unfamiliar learning situations.
hyperactive Red Light reflexes.
Energy then moves away from the survival-oriented brain stem
The “Green Light” TGR into the frontal lobes, and the child experiences a feeling of
An activation reaction, the Green Light TGR causes spinal muscle participation readiness.
contraction, lifting and extending the spine, getting us ready to Mary Rentschler is a consultant in private practice in Washington,
move. More developmental than protective in its initial purpose, it DC. She lectures on reflexes and Brain Gym, and is a Masgutova
helps infants discover their spinal muscles. Method Specialist. You can contact her at wren@[Link] .

New Developments n [Link]  Vol. 12, No. 4