Nerve roots of the deep tendon reflexes

What it is

Each deep tendon reflex draws its supply from a named pair of nerve roots, and the pairs count up in order from the ankle to the arm, so they are held in mind as one set. The main nerve root is the one bolded in the list: 1) Achilles reflex = S1, S2, "buckle my shoe", the bold on S1; 2) patellar reflex = L3, L4, "kick the door", the bold on L4; 3) biceps and brachioradialis reflexes = C5, C6, "pick up sticks", the bold on C5; 4) triceps reflex = C7, C8, "lay them straight", the bold on C7. A second page sets the same list beside a small mnemonic panel that draws a red ring around one root of each pair, and the two do not always mark the same one: the ring falls on S2 for the Achilles, L4 for the patellar, C6 for the biceps, and C7 for the triceps, with the rhyme beside it, 1 2 buckle my shoe, 3 4 kick the floor, 5 6 pick up sticks, 7 8 lay them straight. The two marks agree on L4 and on C7 and differ on the other two, so both are given here.

Two further reflexes are added to the same mnemonic: the cremasteric reflex = L1, L2 ("testicles move") and the anal wink reflex = S3, S4 ("winks galore").