Paraplegia – Paralysis of the Lower Body

Paraplegia is defined as the impairment of the lower extremities of the human body, which includes the legs and the internal organs below the waist, caused by an injury to the lower area of the central nervous system or the spinal cord. This affects motor and sensory operations, causing often-debilitating conditions.

The word "paraplegia" is derived from an Ionic Greek term that is called "half-striking." The condition varies from person to person, where some only report loss of feeling and control on their legs, while some in severe cases have complete paralysis, which includes loss of control of bladder and bowel movements and sexual functions.

The major portion of the body that causes the paralysis is the spinal cord. Once the spinal cord is broken or critically damaged, certain portions of the body become affected and a person may become crippled for the rest of his life. The extent of a person's disability depends on the location of the damage to the spinal cord, and the severity of the damage. For instance, low spinal cord injuries may only cause paralysis of the legs, whereas higher spinal cord damage may cause paralysis of all four limbs as well as loss of control of the internal organs.

Causes of Paraplegia

The causes of paraplegia vary from person to person. In most cases, the paralysis of the lower body is caused by construction accidents or vehicular mishaps, such as those in seat belt failure accidents. People who participate in high-contact physical sports are also at a great risk of suffering an injury that could cause this condition. Aside from accidents and wartime injury, there are also some diseases that may cause paraplegia or quadriplegia. Examples of them include spinal tuberculosis, autoimmune diseases, syphilis, spinal tumors, multiple sclerosis, and poliomyelitis.

Successful Rehabilitation

There are cases where spinal cord rehabilitation has successfully helped some people with incomplete motor function and sensory function to eventually regain the ability to walk within a year, but it is more likely for a paraplegic person to be incapacitated for the rest of his life. Cases where treatment and rehabilitation has enabled a paraplegic person to regain control of their limbs are rare, because the nerve damage is usually irreparable and paralysis is permanent. Whether they do recover or not, they would still have to deal with the changes in their living conditions as well as medical bills.

Lifelong Healthcare

The long-term healthcare needs of a paraplegic person include some or all of the following: regular check ups, neurology nursing care, psychologists, physical therapy sessions and respiratory therapists. Plus, there are several treatments that a paraplegic person needs, such as bowel and bladder programs. Braces are sometimes necessary, particularly for individuals with little to no core strength. Braces support the spine and the ligaments that are attached to it. Steroids, osmotic diuretics, and blood pressure medications are typically prescribed to prevent other diseases, such as heart failures and kidney. In some cases individuals with spinal cord injury require nursing care, either because they live alone and cannot tend to some of their basic needs or because their paralysis creates an extraordinary hardship on family caregivers.

Coping With Costs

Treatment for people suffering from paraplegia and quadriplegia aims to compensate for the paralysis by means of mechanical devices and through psychological and physical therapy. For this reason, many patients opt to use a spinal cord injury lawyer to assist them in the processing of their benefits. As the victim, a person has the right to use all means necessary to claim from the other party the medical and future care for their incapacity.

To help paraplegic victims, there are spinal cord injury lawyers who specialize in accidents resulting to this kind of injury. The spinal cord lawyer will be able to inform victims about their rights and of the benefits that they can continue to claim as a disabled person, especially if the accident was caused by another person's negligent behavior.

Paraplegia limits a person's functions. Addressing the injury properly may mean the difference between the patient's being able to walk again or remaining crippled for the rest of his life.

< Return to Articles