One serious danger that people need to watch out for if they sustain a spinal cord injury is a type of plegia paralysis. There are five main types of plegia paralysis that a person might face – monoplegia, diplegia, hemiplegia, paraplegia, and quadriplegia. On this page, I will discuss each of these issues in greater detail. If you have a loved one who is facing one of these types of paralysis, you should seek medical attention for them as soon as possible.
Monoplegia
Monoplegia is a type of paralysis that affects one limb. In many situations, monoplegia affects one arm, but it could also affect one leg. Spinal cord injury can cause monoplegia, but the most common cause of this issue is actual cerebral palsy. Other causes include:
- Brain tumors
- Lumbar radiculopathy
- Stroke
- Multiple sclerosis
- Malignancy on nerves
- Motor neuron disease
- Brown sequard syndrome
- Mononeuritis multiplex
- Nerve impingement
When it comes to treating monoplegia, doctors will have to determine the severity of the injury. In some cases, monoplegia is only temporary, and the patient can take steps to recover function of their limb. In other cases, monoplegia might be permanent. Physical therapy is a common treatment for this issue, because it helps patients regain as much function of their limb as they can.
Diplegia
Diplegia is a term that refers to paralysis of the same body part on both sides of the body. For example, diplegia might refer to paralysis of both arms or both legs. Diplegia is commonly caused by spinal cord or brain injuries. Other causes include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Tumor
- Stroke
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Metabolic disorders
As with monoplegia, diplegia can be temporary in some cases. Permanency of the injury will depend on its cause, severity, and how soon it was able to be treated. Again, as with monoplegia, one of the most common treatment methods is physical therapy to help patients recover as much use of their limbs as they can.
Hemiplegia
Hemiplegia is a type of paralysis that affects one side of the body. A person with hemiplegia will lose most or all of their function in the left side or the right side of their body. Other common symptoms include balance issues, vision problems, speech problems, and difficulty using hands.
The most common cause of hemiplegia is a brain injury that disturbs blood flow. This might happen as a result of a birth injury, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or some other type of issue. If the right side of the brain is affected, the person will lose function on the left side of their body. If the left side of the brain is affected, the person will lose function on the right side of their body.
There are a few different types of hemiplegia. They include:
- Cerebral hemiplegia, caused by brain lesions that affect the flow of blood to the brain
- Facial hemiplegia, which is paralysis of one side of the face
- Spinal hemiplegia, caused by lesions on the spine
- Spastic hemiplegia, which causes spastic movements and paralysis on the affected side of the body
Paraplegia
An injury to the spinal cord below the first thoracic nerve can result in paraplegia. This causes loss of movement and feeling in a person’s legs. Paraplegia can cause complete loss of feeling and movement in the legs, or just impaired leg movement – it will depend on the individual’s injury. Functionality will depend on the type of injury – whether it is complete or incomplete. Paraplegia can cause additional issues in a person, such as loss of sensory function, bladder control, motor control, bowel function, and more.
Treatment of paraplegia focuses on re-gaining as much function of the legs as possible. Further treatment will help patients cope with their injury and live as independently as they can.
Quadriplegia
If a person’s arms and legs become paralyzed, this is defined as quadriplegia. Oftentimes, this issue is a result of a spinal cord injury, but other issues such as strokes or cerebral palsy can also cause quadriplegia. Once again, the severity of the paralysis will depend on the extent of the injury to the spinal cord. Additional difficulties that a person with quadriplegia might face include loss of bowel and bladder control, bedsores, respiratory problems, blood clots, spastic muscles, and more.
Getting Help
If your loved one faces one of these types of paralysis, and their injury is the result of someone else’s actions, you should consider trying to recover compensation on behalf of your loved one. The person who is at fault should be held responsible for the consequences of their actions. For more information, you can contact my office. I am happy to help.
