By Dr. Ravindra Patil
Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of our body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis is always associated with damage to brain or nerves. Remember, everything we do, from thoughts to speech to vision to action, is controlled by our brain via hundreds of nerves. Damage in the brain results in extensive paralysis, while damage to nerves or spinal cord results in relatively smaller area of paralysis.
Paralysis is a serious condition. There is no cure for paralysis. But preventing paralysis and rehabilitation after paralysis offer great hope in terms of functional recovery.
Even when our body suffers extensive paralysis, say in one half of our body, either left or right, patients do recover and can manage to live on their own. Their muscles which escaped paralysis learn new things so that the patient learns how to use these healthy muscles to do his or her daily activity.
Let us see how paralysis occurs and what are the various types or paralysis and so on. First of all, lets see if paralysis can be cured. These questions and answers will give you a lot of important information about paralysis.
Currently there is no cure for paralysis. However, depending on the cause and type of the paralysis, patients do experience partial or complete recovery. Temporary paralysis, such as that caused by Bell’s palsy or stroke, may resolve on its own without medical treatment. While hemiplegia patient gradually recover their functions. Paraplegia and Quadriplegia are however, more serious.
The different types of paralysis are quadriplegia [all four limb functions affected], paraplegia [lower limb functions affected], monoplegia [one limb functions affected], diplegia [paralysis affecting symmetrical parts of the body] and hemiplegia [either the right side or the left side of the body is affected].
Sudden weakness on one side of the face, arm/s, slurred speech, half smile on face, half part of the body may become weak and gradually stop being able to move, lower limbs become weak or are totally unable to move. This weakness may slowly develop into spasticity or rigidity of the muscles. Later the muscles become flaccid.
Most cases of paralysis occur due to cerebrovascular stroke [hemiplegia] or injuries such as spinal cord injury [paraplegia] or a broken neck [quadriplegia].
Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is a rare autoimmune disorder possibly triggered by an infection.
When the facial nerve suffers a viral infection or a swelling, facial palsy or Bell’s palsy results. One side of the face is pulled on the side and the patient can’t smile symmetrically.
Other causes of paralysis include nerve diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Autoimmune diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Cerebrovascular stroke occurs due to thrombosis [blood clotting inside brain arteries], embolism [clot from the heart lodging in the brain] or haemorrhage [rupture of a brain artery due to high blood pressure or a weak arterial wall] in the brain.
Toxins such as venom or poison may also cause sudden paralysis, especially after snake or insect bites.
Maintain a balanced diet, be active, take some exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, get a health check-up done at least once or twice a year. Try and keep your cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure and body weight levels within normal limits. Quit smoking.
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.
In a case of hemiplegia, there is partial or complete loss of strength leading to paralysis on one side of the body. It is usually the result of brain damage in the cerebral hemisphere, opposite the side of paralysis. Hemiplegia may be caused by several vascular conditions, injuries, infections, and congenital disorders. Hemiplegia may also lead to loss of bladder control, trouble swallowing, breathing, and speaking.
Hemiparesis is a mild or partial weakness or loss of strength on one side of the body. Hemiplegia is a severe or complete loss of strength or paralysis on one side of the body. The difference between the two conditions primarily lies in severity
People often confuse the above two. Hemiplegia [and also hemiparesis] occur because of a stroke.
A research study in 2015 found that hemiplegic patients had a 93.8% chance of achieving independent gait within 6 months, provided the patient was treated very fast after the onset of stroke. This is a result of getting treatment in the ‘Golden Hour’. Recovery is usually best in the lower limb, but upper limb movement, sensation, body image, mental ability, and speech may also recover to some extent. Recovery may begin as early as the first week or as late as the seventh. ‘’
Overall, the best hemiplegia treatments involve repetitive, passive rehab exercise. Repetitively moving your affected muscles sends signals to your brain and sparks neuroplasticity. You can also use electrical stimulation, mental practice and so on, to boost neuroplasticity.
This is the key to recovery after any type of paralysis. It is the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections. It means that a muscle or group of muscles perform activities of paralysed muscles after adequate rehabilitation therapy. It does not always work, but in many patients neuroplasticity or neural plasticity helps in functional recovery.
Paralysis that affects all or part of the torso, legs and pelvic organs is called paraplegia. It can occur after a spinal cord injury. It’s caused by damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column.
Rehabilitation, medication and medical devices allow many people with spinal cord injuries to lead productive, independent lives. There are less than than 1 million cases per year in India.
The bad thing about paraplegia is: treatment can help, but this condition can’t be cured.
Paraplegia is caused by injury to spinal cord or brain that stops signals from reaching the lower body. When the brain cannot send signals to the lower body, it results in paralysis. Road accidents are the most common cause of paraplegia.
It depends on the amount of injury to the spinal cord. Approximately 80% of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury can walk after a rehabilitation program with a walking device. If however, the spinal cord is totally injured, possibility of walking is nil.
Paralysis below the neck, including both arms and legs, is called quadriplegia. The ability to control the limbs after a spinal cord injury depends on two factors: where the injury occurred on your spinal cord and the severity of injury.
Spinal cord Injuries in neck result in quadriplegia, while injuries lower down the spinal cord may result in paraplegia or partial loss of activities of the lower limbs, bladder and bowel control.
As has been mentioned, if the injury to the spinal cord is total, chances of recovery are nil.
While there is no known cure for paraplegia, partial recovery can be a long and difficult process as paraplegics learn to cope with their paraplegia symptoms.
Dr. Ravindra Patil Neurosurgeon at Samarth Neuro and Superspeciality Hospital has good experience in this field.
Samarth Neuro and Superspeciality Hospital has 100+ beds & specializes in emergency surgery for neurological issues/disorders & diagnostics.
Samarth Neuro and Superspeciality Hospital
