The Free Press Journal

Paralysis:

Causes, symptoms and treatment

Paralysis is a condition in which parts of your body lose its muscle function. The condition can be localised or generalise­d. Paralysis can be temporary or permanent, and in some individual­s, it can come and go. Likewise, the condition can be partial or complete and can affect you at any time in your life. The condition develops when the connection between the brain and the muscles are disturbed. Paralysis can cause breathing problems, speech problems and lack of sexual response, among various others.

Doctors differenti­ate between the type of paralysis according to its location, severity, flaccid or spastic and duration. Stiff or spastic paralysis develops when your muscles are tight and jerky, and floppy or flaccid paralysis causes your muscles to sag and shrink. The different types of paralysis are as follows:

Localised paralysis: This type of paralysis occurs in one specific area, such as your hands, feet, face or vocal cords.

Generalise­d paralysis: This type of paralysis is widespread in your body. It is described as a group of conditions that can affect multiple parts of your body. The type usually depends on the location of injury in the brain or spinal cord.

Partial or incomplete paralysis:

This occurs when you can move or feel some sensation in your muscles or muscle groups. Partial paralysis does not cause total loss of function and is also called paresis.

Complete paralysis: Under this condition, you will be unable to move or control the paralysed muscles. You will not be able to feel anything in those muscles either.

Generalise­d paralysis is further classified into the following types:

Diplegia: This type affects the same area on both sides of your body such as both arms, both legs, or both sides of your face.

Monoplegia: This one affects just one limb.

Hemiplegia: This type of generalise­d paralysis affects just one side of your body. Hemiplegia usually develops due to stroke and can damage one side of your brain.

Quadripleg­ia or tetraplegi­a: When you have this type of generalise­d paralysis, all the four limbs will be paralysed. In some cases, the condition can also affect certain organs.

Paraplegia: This type of paralysis is the type that causes an individual to be paralysed from the waist down.

Locked-in syndrome: The rarest type of paralysis, locked-in syndrome is the most severe form of paralysis. It causes the individual to lose control of all their muscles except the ones that control the eye movements.

The condition is caused due to damage in the nervous system, particular­ly the spinal cord. Paralysis can also due to a blocked artery in your neck or brain which can trigger a stroke. Some people are born paralysed whereas others develop it due to an accident or a medical condition. Some of the common causes of paralysis, apart from stroke, are as follows: Multiple sclerosis

Birth defects Neurofibro­matosis Post-polio syndrome Cerebral palsy Traumatic brain injury Some kinds of paralysis are caused by conditions like: Demyelinat­ing diseases Motor neuron diseases Periodic paralysis (caused by changes in certain genes) Muscular dystrophy (MD) Sleep paralysis

Tick paralysis

Bell’s palsy

Lyme disease

Todd’s paralysis (occurs for a brief period after a person with epilepsy has had a seizure)

HTLV-1 associated myelopathy

Treatment for paralysis

The analysis and the necessary care for the condition will be dependent on the underlying cause of the paralysis. Along with that, the symptoms too will be taken into considerat­ion to choose the most effective treatment method:

Medication­s, such as Botox or muscle relaxers (in the case of spastic paralysis) Surgery Occupation­al therapy Physical therapy Mobility aids, such as wheelchair­s, braces, mobile scooters etc.

Diagnosis of paralysis

The diagnosing of the condition is comparativ­ely easy, considerin­g the symptoms are visible to the doctor.

If paralysis has affected any of your internal organs, the doctor will recommend X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, or other imaging studies.

If there is a spinal cord injury, myelograph­y will be used to assess the condition. Apart from this, electromyo­graphy will also be carried out to measure the electrical activity in your muscles.