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Paralytic patients suffer from a condition that reduces their ability to move. Depending on the causes, paralysis can be of various types and can result in a complete or partial inability of movement.
Read on to know paralysis meaning, its causes, symptoms and everything related to it.
Paralysis, also known as Plegia, is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. This health condition can be accompanied by a sensory loss (meaning loss of feeling) in the concerned area if there is significant sensory and motor damage.
In short, paralysis refers to the loss of muscle function in the body. As stated earlier, depending on the nature of the damage, paralysis can be partial or complete, temporary or permanent or localised or generalised. First, let's briefly discuss the type of paralysis.
Paralysis can be of different types. These include;
Complete Paralysis: As the name suggests, complete paralysis refers to a health condition when individuals cannot move or control their body parts. It may also result in losing the ability to feel in those muscles.
Partial Paralysis: In partial or incomplete paralysis, individuals can partially feel or even control the paralysed body muscles. This type of condition is often referred to as Paresis.
Localised Paralysis: In localised paralysis, only a specific area such as the face, foot, hands get affected.
Generalised Paralysis: Contrary to localised paralysis, generalised paralysis involves a general area in the body and is categorised by how much the body is affected or damaged. For example, this type of paralysis depends on the areas of the brain and spinal cord injury.
Please note that paralysis can be stiff or spastic. Patients suffering from cerebral palsy have this kind of paralysis. On the other hand, paralysis can be floppy or flaccid, where an individual’s muscles loosen and eventually shrink.
It is clear by now that paralysis can affect any particular body part rather than just the limbs. Individuals can suffer from partial or complete paralysis at any point in time. When a person has paralysis, he/she can hardly feel any pain in the affected areas.
Depending on the causes or nature of paralysis, the treatment is categorised into two parts: either cure the patient or treat the condition so that the patient can return to their previous lifestyle as much as possible.
Having gained basic knowledge about the meaning of paralysis, let’s move on to the signs and symptoms of paralysis.
Depending on the type of paralysis, its symptoms also vary. Also, the symptoms of paralysis are easy to detect.
As stated earlier, paralysis can occur at any point in time. Thus, the signs of paralysis symptoms can occur in childhood as well as in adulthood. However, individuals might be aware if they feel the following sensations-
Apart from these, there are early paralysis attack symptoms. These include-
Some of these symptoms also indicate facial paralysis. Wondering about the symptoms of facial paralysis?
The common symptoms of facial paralysis include-
If an individual suffers from the symptoms mentioned above frequently, they should immediately consult a doctor to prevent paralysis.
The above-mentioned sections describe the symptoms of paralysis. Now let us move to the section that causes these symptoms.
The trigger signals relayed from the brain controls muscle movement. When any part of the relay system such as the brain, spinal cord, nerves is affected or damaged, the signals cannot reach the destined area, i.e., muscles. Spinal cord injuries can result in paralysis (be it permanent or temporary).
Paralysis attacks can be caused due to various reasons. They can be generated from a congenital disability or later due to some injuries or accidents. However, stroke is considered one of the primary reasons for paralysis.
Below is discussed the main causes of paralysis.
Apart from these, there are other reasons for paralysis attacks.
However, the causes of paralysis can also intensify when any injuries occur in patients having other medical conditions such as diabetes. For example, diabetic nerve damage can cause reduced ability to move some body parts, particularly the feet. As a result, it decreases the ability to walk but also causes other serious health issues such as cardiovascular episodes.
Any kind of diagnosis is incomplete without determining the cause of the disease.
Due to the prominent symptom of loss of muscle movement, paralysis diagnosis is often an easy job. Subsequently, doctors can easily determine when a patient suffers from a stroke or spinal cord injury.
However, for internal body parts, diagnosing paralysis and the underlying causes become very difficult. In such cases, doctors might prescribe some tests. These are mentioned below,
Currently, there is no cure for paralysis. However, several methods can treat patients who have partial paralysis and make their life easier with the ongoing physical condition.
With exercise and physiotherapy, paralysis can be cured to some extent. This method of treatment provides effective results for patients suffering from partial or complete paralysis (in hands or legs). In addition, sometimes exercise helps patients get cured and recover sensation and motor functions in one or two affected body parts.
The advancement in medical technology enables patients to get several supporting mobility aids. For example, patients who have partial paralysis in the lower body part (i.e. legs) and have perfectly fine upper body parts can use mobility aids such as a manual wheelchair for short-distance commuting.
On the other hand, patients who have partial paralysis in the lower part and have less strength in the upper body part can use an electric wheelchair.
Moreover, cars can be custom fitted to align with the needs of specially-abled persons. Here, levers can be used instead of the accelerator and brake pedals. Also, the steering wheel can be customised and used in such a way where it can be operated using wrists instead of fingers/hands.
Currently, there are numerous voice-command-based systems available in the market. Patients diagnosed with quadriplegia can use these advanced systems and control TV, audio units, mobile phones, room temperature, etc.
Moreover, patients who are diagnosed with locked-in syndrome can use special computers that can help them to make small sentences or enhance the form of communication.
In some cases of paralysis, brain or spinal cord injuries prove to be beneficial in the treatment. This type of surgery focuses on reducing the size of the swelling. However, after the surgeries, patients must take paralysis treatment medicines religiously as these medicines can help prevent any post-surgery viral or bacterial infections.
As stated earlier, of all the causes, stroke is considered the prominent reason for paralysis. Stroke refers to the medical condition when blood flow is blocked to a part of the brain. When brain cells do not receive blood, the cells do not get enough oxygen, resulting in their death. Subsequently, when brain cells die, individuals experience weakness, i.e. paralysis and lose the ability to talk or move.
Below is discussed the risk factors of paralysis, i.e. stroke.
To prevent paralysis, individuals must follow the rules mentioned below,
While controlling some genetic paralysis is impossible, individuals can adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk.
The write-up mentioned above talks about essential points regarding paralysis. Read this article and learn everything about paralysis.
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Disclaimer #2: This information is added only for informative purposes and collected from different sources across the Internet. Digit Insurance is not promoting or recommending anything here. Please verify the information before making any decisions.
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