Types of paralysis

Quadriplegia is a symptom of paralysis that affects all a person’s limbs and body from the neck down. The most common cause of quadriplegia is an injury to the spinal cord in your neck, but it can also happen with medical conditions. Quadriplegia is sometimes treatable, but most cases — especially those due to injuries — result in permanent paralysis. Overview Quadriplegia happens when there’s a disruption in nerve signals traveling through the spinal cord, usually somewhere in the neck. What is quadriplegia? Quadriplegia is a pattern of paralysis — which is when you can’t deliberately control or move your muscles — that can affect a person from the neck down. Depending on how and why it happens, it can affect your ability to move parts of your body, as well as some of your body’s automatic processes that keep you alive. Quadriplegia (also known as tetraplegia; see below for an explanation of these terms) is usually a symptom of other problems, but there are some instances where it’s a standalone condition. Overall, quadriplegia is the most common symptom of traumatic spinal cord injury, happening in about 60% of cases. There are also two main ways, complete and incomplete, that quadriplegia can happen. • Incomplete quadriplegia. This means that the quadriplegia blocks some — but not all — signals from getting through. That means a person might still have some ability to move, feel sensations or control automatic body processes (such as bowel and bladder function). This ha...

Overview Polio is an illness caused by a virus that mainly affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem. In its most severe form, polio can lead to a person being unable to move certain limbs, also called paralysis. It can also lead to trouble breathing and sometimes death. The disease also is called poliomyelitis. A vaccination effort throughout the world has led to only a small number of cases to occur around the world in recent years. But poliovirus still spreads within areas with low vaccination rates. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes travel notices of countries where there is a higher risk of polio. Countries at a higher risk of polio are generally in Africa, the Middle East, and southern and central Asia. Vaccinated adults who plan to travel to an area where polio is spreading should get a booster dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). Immunity after a booster lasts a lifetime. Nerve cell (neuron) The basic unit of communication in the nervous system is the nerve cell (neuron). Each nerve cell consists of the cell body, which includes the nucleus, a major branching fiber (axon) and numerous smaller branching fibers (dendrites). The myelin sheath is fatty material that covers, insulates and protects nerves of the brain and spinal cord. Most people infected with the virus that causes polio, called poliovirus, don't get symptoms. Abortive polio About 5% of people with the poliovirus get a mild version of the disease called ab...

Sleep paralysis is the inability to move even though you feel awake and conscious. It can happen as you fall asleep or as you wake up. This physically harmless but often frightening phenomenon happens when one part of your brain wakes up from sleep but the part that inhibits movement during sleep does not. Episodes of sleep paralysis can last for several seconds to several minutes, during which you're fully alert and aware of your surroundings. However, you’re also locked in something called REM atonia: your muscles, including those that allow you to speak, are paralyzed because they're still set to “sleep mode." • An inability to move any part of your body • An inability to speak or make sounds • Full awareness or alertness to your surroundings • Feeling heaviness or compression on your chest • Feeling like you're suffocating • Hallucinations, which can be extremely frightening or disturbing in nature • A sense that someone is in the room with you What Causes Sleep Paralysis? Sleep paralysis is known as a REM sleep disorder because it occurs during the part of your sleep cycle called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep, your eyes move quickly, your body relaxes, and your muscles don't move. REM sleep is also when you dream. However, your brain temporarily puts you in a state of atonia, or paralysis, because it's not safe for you to “act out” your dreams while you sleep. • Other sleep disorders, like narcolepsy or • Medications • Substance use disorder • Disru...

Paresis is a condition where the muscles in an area of the body become weaker and difficult to move voluntarily. This issue, which can obviously have an enormous impact on your daily function, is actually a symptom of an underlying disorder. In fact, a wide variety of diseases and injuries can lead to motor function deficits in your body. • Paresis causes weakness in an area of the body (like an arm or leg). While this condition can make an area of the body difficult or fatiguing to move, there is still some motor function present. • Paralysis is the complete loss of motor function, and the person is unable to move the affected body region in any capacity. The paralyzed muscle groups will not contract or fire, and even a flicker of activation is unable to be seen. This typically occurs because of damage to the brain, spinal cord, or nerves, each of which helps initiate movement by relaying messages to the muscles. • Monoparesis: Weakness in just one extremity, like an arm or leg. • Diparesis: A body region on both sides of the body, such as both legs or both sides of the face, is afflicted with weakness. • Paraparesis: Weakness in both legs (and sometimes a portion of the trunk). • Hemiparesis: Weakness affecting both the arm and the leg on one side of the body. • Double Hemiparesis: Both arms and legs are weak, with one side of the body being more affected than the other. • Triparesis: Weakness impacting three of the four extremities of the body (e.g., both legs and one a...

Overview What is a spinal cord injury? The spinal cord relays messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Layers of tissue called meninges and a column of vertebrae (spinal bones) surround and protect the spinal cord. Most spinal cord injuries come from a sudden, traumatic blow to the vertebrae. The How does a spinal cord injury affect the body? The body loses many essential functions if an injury means nerves can’t communicate with the brain. A damaged spinal cord can affect: • Bladder and bowel (intestinal) function. • Breathing. • Heart rate. • Metabolism, or the body’s process of converting food into energy. • Muscle movement. • Reflexes. • Sensations. Is a spinal cord injury the same as a back injury? A spinal cord injury isn’t the same as a back injury. Back injuries may damage bones or soft tissues in the spine, but they don’t affect the spinal cord. What are the types of spinal cord injuries? Spinal cord injuries can be complete or incomplete (partial): • Complete: A complete injury causes total • Incomplete: After an incomplete injury, some function remains on one or both sides of the body. The body and brain can still communicate along certain pathways. Symptoms and Causes How do spinal cord injuries happen? Some possible causes of spinal cord injuries (from most to least common) include: • Motor vehicle accidents. • Falls. • Gunshot wounds. • Sports injuries. • Surgical complications. What are the symptoms of a spinal cord injury? Spinal cord injury sym...

Overview The brachial plexus is the network of nerves that sends signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand. A brachial plexus injury occurs when these nerves are stretched, compressed, or in the most serious cases, ripped apart or torn away from the spinal cord. Minor brachial plexus injuries, known as stingers or burners, are common in contact sports, such as football. Babies sometimes sustain brachial plexus injuries during birth. Other conditions, such as inflammation or tumors, may affect the brachial plexus. Types of nerve damage A cross section of spine (on left) shows how nerve roots are connected to the spinal cord. The most severe type of nerve injury is an avulsion (A), where the nerve roots are torn away from the spinal cord. Less severe injuries involve a stretching (B) of the nerve fibers or a rupture (C), where the nerve is torn into two pieces. Signs and symptoms of a brachial plexus injury can vary greatly, depending on the severity and location of the injury. Usually only one arm is affected. Less-severe injuries Minor damage often occurs during contact sports, such as football or wrestling, when the brachial plexus nerves get stretched or compressed. These are called stingers or burners, and can produce the following symptoms: • A feeling like an electric shock or a burning sensation shooting down the arm • Numbness and weakness in the arm These symptoms usually last only a few seconds or minutes, but in some people the symptoms may linge...