Paralysis

Paralysis is the loss of movement or control in a certain part of the body. When nerves become damaged they cease to supply blood to the muscles and thus muscles become non-functioning. If you or someone you know has a condition that ends with a 'plegia' or 'paresis', then there is a strong likelihood that the victim has paralysis to a certain part of the body. It may also mean that there is weakness in those regions, and not necessarily paralysis.

Monoplegia or monoparesis is the weak use of paralysis of one limb. If a certain side of the body is weak or has become paralyzed it would be a case of hemiplegia or hemiparesis. This is common in individuals who have suffered from a stroke. If the victim is paralyzed from both legs, he or she has paraplegia. Finally, quadraplegia is referred to as the paralysis of both the arms and legs.

If the condition contains the word 'palsy', it can also mean paralysis to a certain region of the body. For example, facial palsy is the damage to the nerves of the face and cerebral palsy is the damage of brain nerves.

Different types of paralysis require different types of treatments. There are physical and emotional treatments available to make sure symptoms improve or do not get any worse.