hamstring reflex, a normal deep tendon reflex elicited by tapping one of the hamstring tendons behind the knee, causing contraction of the tendon and flexion of the knee. The patient should be lying in the supine position with the knee and hip partially flexed and the leg supported by the examiner’s hand. An accentuated hamstring reflex may result from a lesion of the pyramidal system above the level of the fourth lumbar nerve root. See also deep tendon reflex.
