Paraplegia

Imagine one day you woke up and you cannot move and feel your legs. 

How do you feel??

 

Paraplegia is a type of  spinal cord injury that causes paralysis of the lower extremities of body.

It mainly affects the trunks, legs, and pelvic region, resulting in loss of movement.

Paraplegia commonly occurs if the injury is at the level of the Thoracic & Lumbar regions of the spine.

It can be Complete or Incomplete - 

a) Complete Paraplegia - Occurs when damage to the spinal cord is severe enough to cut off all the connections between the brain and areas below the level of injury. 

A person suffering from this does not have movement of limbs, has no feeling or function in legs, and one can also experience loss of bladder control or bowel control.

b) Incomplete Paraplegia - In this damage to the spinal cord is less severe. 

Movement of limbs is still there, and sensation is also intact.

Recovery in incomplete paraplegia is faster compared to complete paraplegia.

Paralysis can cause various issues in the body. All this depends on how severe the paraplegia is and on which body part it affects.

Paraplegia can have different impact on the body, irrespective of which part it affects. 

                  CAUSES OF PARAPLEGIA -

•  Fall from height,
• Car accidents,
• Sports accidents

It can also be caused by some other health problems like -

• Cancer,
• Cerebral palsy,
• Stroke,
• Brain tumour,
• Multiple sclerosis

               SYMPTOMS-

1. Loss of sensation in the lower half of the body,
2. Chronic pain,
3. Bowel and bladder trouble,
4. Difficulty in walking and standing,
5. Weight gain,
6. Sexual difficulties,
7. Depression,
8. High Blood pressure,
9. Skin infection,

It is not necessary for every person with paraplegia to show these symptoms, they can suffer from other symptoms too.

Similarly, it does not mean that if two person have paraplegia they need to show the exact same symptom as the other one, one can have different symptoms as everyone's body reacts differently.

• Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) -

group of Hereditary, neurological, degenerative disorder which primarily affect Upper motor neurons.

In this type of paraplegia, there is the deterioration of nerves that control the muscles of the leg.

It can develop at any time throughout the life span.

 

SYMPTOMS -

• Difficulty in walking - one usually uses a cane, walker or wheelchair for walking.
• Weakness in the lower limb
• urinary incontinence

There can be other symptoms too.

As the name suggests, HSP is inherited genetically, i.e. it is the condition that runs in the family.

Life expectancy of a person with HSP is Normal.

Living with Paraplegia is difficult, as person is not able to move the lower half of the body and they are on wheelchair.

Impact of paraplegia in one's life is unimaginable. A person need to learn new things and had to adapt themselves.

Here are few names of famous personalities who have paraplegia-

 

  

 

Activities of daily living can be quite challenging at first, but as person adapt themselves in a new way of living, activities can seemed to be simple to execute.

 

Assistive aids which can be used by people with paraplegia which help them adapt themselves in a new way of living-

1) Manual wheelchair / Electric wheelchairs

 2) Leg lifters-

 This can be extremely helpful for patients with limited strength to lift their legs.

3) Robotic legs -

Paraplegia can make someone's life turn around in a minute. It isn't easy to process it at first, but eventually, one has to adapt themselves with time. It will take time to feel comfortable with oneself, but once you get that comfort, you will start to accept yourself.

Here's the inspiring story of Pieta Bouma who encountered paraplegia after having an accident -