Paralysis is defined as complete loss of strength, motor function or voluntary movement in an affected limb or muscle group.
Paralysis can affect only one muscle or limb (partial paralysis or palsy) or it can affect all of an area's muscles, resulting in total paralysis.
Paralysis is often caused by an injury to a person's spinal cord or brain, two vital organs of the body's central nervous system. The chain of nerve cells that runs from the brain through the spinal cord out to the muscle is called the motor pathway. Normal muscle function requires intact connections all along this motor pathway. Damage at any point reduces the brain's ability to control the muscle's movements and can cause sudden loss of sensation or other bodily systems/functions.
What are the different types of paralysis?
- Paraplegia, affecting both legs and the trunk
- Quadriplegia, affecting all four limbs and the trunk
- Monoplegia, affecting only one limb
- Diplegia, affecting the same body region on both sides of the body (both arms, for example, or both sides of the face)
- Hemiplegia, affecting one side of the body
What can cause paralysis?- Trauma (accidents, falls, violence)
- Stroke
- Tumor
- Multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy,
- Metabolic disorders,
- Ruptured or slipped discs
- Spinal diseases
- Rheumatoid arthritis of the spine
- Neurodegenerative disease (a disease that damages nerve cells)
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Radiation
- Toxins or poisons
Paralysis injuries are life-changing and can result in a lifetime of expensive medical care. If you have suffered a paralysis injury due to the negligence of an individual, medical professional or medical facility, we may be able to help you collect compensation for pain and suffering, loss of wages, medical expenses and costs of future treatment.
At Findlay Law, our paralysis injury lawyers are dedicated to helping make your life a little easier. Please
contact our office for a free case evaluation to learn more about your legal rights.
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