Hemiplegia

Hemiplegia is a symptom that involves one-sided paralysis. Hemiplegia affects either the right or left side of your body. It happens because of brain or spinal cord injuries and conditions. Depending on the cause, hemiplegia can be temporary or permanent. Some causes of hemiplegia are treatable or even reversible with immediate medical care. Overview Hemiplegia is one-sided muscle paralysis or weakness. It's usually a symptom of a brain-related issue or condition. It can affect the face, arm and leg, and sometimes it affects all three. What is hemiplegia? Hemiplegia is paralysis that affects only one side of your body. This symptom is often a key indicator of severe or life-threatening conditions like a stroke, but can also happen with conditions and circumstances that aren’t as dangerous. Hemiplegia is paralysis, which means you can’t move or control the muscles in the affected body part. That can cause muscles that are completely limp. It can also cause spastic hemiplegia, a type of paralysis where muscles contract uncontrollably. Hemiplegia affects either the right side of your body (right hemiplegia) or the left side of your body (left hemiplegia), with your spine (backbone) being the dividing line between the two halves. Hemiplegia may affect your face, arm and leg on one side of your body in various ways: The paralysis may not be present, or not be as severe in all of these three body areas. There are even some rare conditions that cause hemiplegia to come and go, af...

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What Is Hemiplegia? One hemiplegia definition is that it is a form of trauma-induced paralysis that affects either side of the body, often just one arm and one leg, but occasionally with symptoms extending partially into the torso. Hemiplegia, like other forms of paralysis, is characterized by a significant loss of sensation and control in the affected area. People with hemiplegia may experience intermittent pain and may be better able to control their limbs at some times than at others. What is the Difference between Hemiplegia and Hemiparesis? What Is the Difference between Left Hemiplegia and Right Hemiplegia? Since hemiplegia is characterized by the fact that it affects one side of the body, it may be referred to as either “left hemiplegia” or “right hemiplegia” depending on the specific side of the body that is affected. Basically, the difference between left hemiplegia and right hemiplegia is whether the left or right side of the body is paralyzed. What causes left hemiplegia vs right hemiplegia? It depends on the specific nerve damage that a person experiences. As noted before, the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. So, if the right hemisphere of the brain is damaged, but the left is intact, then it is more likely to result in left hemiparesis (and vice versa for damage to the left hemisphere). However, that is not necessarily a guarantee. Any kind of traumatic brain injury ...

Hemiplegia refers to paralysis on one side of the body. It can affect the legs, arms, and facial muscles on the left or right side. It is not a condition, but a symptom of other conditions. Conditions such as Treatments focus on helping to restore movement to the muscles as well as addressing the underlying condition. This article reviews hemiplegia’s causes, types, treatments, and more. Share on Pinterest Johnny Greig/Getty Images Hemiplegia means weakness or Though there are several potential underlying causes, including genetics, hemiplegia happens due to brain injury. Some people may refer to hemiplegia as hemiparesis. While some individuals may use the term interchangeably, the • hemiplegia refers to severe or complete loss of strength • hemiparesis refers to a relatively mild loss of strength A person may be born with hemiplegia or acquire it. Doctors generally classify the condition as congenital hemiplegia if the brain injury occurs before, during, or soon after birth up until the age of Hemiplegia affects either the left or the right side of the body. If the left side of the brain is injured, paralysis occurs on the right side of the body, while injury on the right side of the brain causes symptoms on the left side of the body. Symptoms can range in severity and can affect people differently. They may • • difficulty walking • inability to grasp objects • impaired coordination • A person may also develop symptoms due to a traumatic brain injury unique to the brain ...

In addition, hemiplegia and hemiparesis can result in emotional and behavioral symptoms. These may vary depending on which part of the brain is affected. For example, a left brain injury may result in someone being anxious and cautious, while a right-sided brain injury may result in impulsivity and over-confidence. • The outermost layer of the brain ( cerebral cortex) contains what’s called the primary motor cortex (sometimes called the “motor homunculus”). The left-hand side of the primary motor cortex controls movement on the right-hand side of the body, and vice-versa. • The spinal cord contains regions called the corticonuclear (or corticobulbar) tract—which controls the muscles of the face, head, and neck—and the corticospinal tract—which controls the muscles of the rest of the body. The left side of the spinal cord controls that same side of the body and vice versa. Weakness or loss of function in your limbs always requires immediate attention. If you experience muscle weakness or paralysis, seek medical attention right away. Complications Secondary conditions of hemiplegia and hemiparesis are problems that you might experience as a result of the weakness. Sometimes, these problems are not noticeable right away. Instead, they may develop months after you first notice weakness or paralysis. • Bladder problems, such as not fully emptying when you pee or urinating when you don’t intend to ( • • Pain • • Autonomic dysreflexia, a sudden spike in blood pressure • Depressio...

Contents • 1 Signs and symptoms • 1.1 Loss of motor skills • 1.2 Pusher syndrome • 1.3 Classification of pusher syndrome • 2 Causes • 2.1 Common • 3 Mechanism • 4 Diagnosis • 4.1 Assessment tools • 5 Treatment • 5.1 Medication • 5.2 Surgery • 5.3 Rehabilitation • 5.4 Physical therapy • 5.5 Occupational therapy • 5.6 Orthotic Intervention • 6 Prognosis • 7 Popular culture • 8 See also • 9 References • 10 External links Signs and symptoms Depending on the type of hemiparesis diagnosed, different bodily functions can be affected. Some effects are expected (e.g., partial paralysis of a limb on the affected side). Other impairments, though, can at first seem completely non-related to the limb weakness but are, in fact, a direct result of the damage to the affected side of the brain. Loss of motor skills People with hemiparesis often have difficulties maintaining their balance due to limb paralysis leading to an inability to properly shift body weight. This makes performing everyday activities such as dressing, eating, grabbing objects, or using the bathroom more difficult. Hemiparesis with origin in the lower section of the brain creates a condition known as Pusher syndrome Main article: Pusher syndrome is a clinical disorder following left or right brain damage in which patients actively push their weight away from the nonhemiparetic side to the hemiparetic side. In contrast to most With a diagnosis of pusher behaviour, three important variables should be seen, the most obviou...

There are multiple forms of disability that a person can suffer as a result of a To help you learn more about these conditions, here’s a quick explanation of hemiplegia and hemiparesis, as well as what makes them different. Hemiparesis Definition The term “hemi” in hemiplegia denotes something occurring on one half of the body — the left or the right side. Hemiparesis is weakness on half of the body. This may manifest in multiple ways, such as a loss of motor control, inability to feel one side of the body, or general sensations of weakness. Right Hemiparesis vs Left Hemiparesis As the name implies, right hemiparesis is weakness on the right side of the body, while left hemiparesis is weakness on the left side of the body. What causes this weakness in one side of the body and not the other varies, but damage to the nervous system from injury, infection, or degenerative conditions can result in hemiparesis. In the case of degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hemiparesis may progress into hemiplegia with time. Symptoms of Hemiparesis It’s common for hemiparesis to unevenly affect one side of the body. The disorder is on a continuum, with symptoms ranging from minor and sporadic to extensive and severe. Telltale signs include: • Difficulties with motor skills, particularly standing. • Weakness in large areas on one side of the body. For example, a patient might be unable to lift his or her arms. • Pusher syndrome: a common...