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Paraplegia
 
 
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Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities. It is usually the result of spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury causes myelopathy or damage to white matter or myelinated fiber tracts that carry sensation and motor signals to and from the brain....
 or a congenital condition such as spina bifida
Spina bifida

Spina bifida is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord....
 which affects the neural elements of the spinal canal. The area of the spinal canal which is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. If the arms are also affected by paralysis, tetraplegia is the proper terminology.

causes range from trauma (acute spinal cord injury: transsection or compression of the cord, usually by bone fragments from vertebral fractures) to tumors (chronic compression of the cord), myelitis transversa and multiple sclerosis.

disease process affecting the corticospinal or pyrimidal tracts of the spinal cord from the thoracic spine downward may lead to paraplegia.






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Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities. It is usually the result of spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury causes myelopathy or damage to white matter or myelinated fiber tracts that carry sensation and motor signals to and from the brain....
 or a congenital condition such as spina bifida
Spina bifida

Spina bifida is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord....
 which affects the neural elements of the spinal canal. The area of the spinal canal which is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. If the arms are also affected by paralysis, tetraplegia is the proper terminology.

Causes

The causes range from trauma (acute spinal cord injury: transsection or compression of the cord, usually by bone fragments from vertebral fractures) to tumors (chronic compression of the cord), myelitis transversa and multiple sclerosis.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Any disease process affecting the corticospinal or pyrimidal tracts of the spinal cord from the thoracic spine downward may lead to paraplegia. These tracts are responsible for movement or the "instructions" for movement from the brain
Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
 to the anterior horn
Anterior horn

The term Anterior horn can refer to two separate anatomy structures within the central nervous system:*The Anterior horn of lateral ventricle...
cells respectively. The most common cause of paraplegis (and all spinal cord injuries) is motor vehicle accidents. Other causes include violence, sports, cancer (tumors) involving the epidural or dural space, vertebra
Vertebra

A vertebra is an individual bone in the flexible column that defines vertebrate animals. The vertebral column encases and protects the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the cranium down the dorsal side of the animal until reaching the pelvis....
l fractures and myelitis transversa. Gunshot
GUN

Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
 wounds to the spine, although decreasing, are one of the major causes of paraplegic spinal cord injuries (for instance, Ron Kovic
Ron Kovic

Ronald Lawrence Kovic is an anti-war activist, veteran and writer who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War. He is best known as the author of the memoir Born on the Fourth of July, which was made into an Academy Award?winning Born on the Fourth of July directed by Oliver Stone, with Tom Cruise playing Kovic....
, author of Born on the Fourth of July, is a paraplegic as a result of a gunshot wound suffered in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
). Sometimes, paralysis
Paralysis

Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis can cause loss of feeling or loss of mobility in the affected area....
 of both legs can result from injury to the brain (bilateral injury of the motor cortex
Motor cortex

Motor cortex is a term that describes regions of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary motion functions....
 controlling the legs, e.g. due to a stroke
Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
 or a brain tumor
Brain tumor

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, which can be cancerous or non-cancerous .It is defined as any cranium tumor created by abnormal and uncontrolled Mitosis, normally either in the brain itself , in the cranial nerves , in the brain envelopes , skull, pituitary and pineal gland, or spread from...
).

Peripheral nervous system

Rarer is the type which is caused by damage to the nerve
Nerve

A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of Peripheral nervous system axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons....
s supplying the legs. This form of damage is not usually symmetrical and would not cause paraplegia, but polyneuropathy
Polyneuropathy

Polyneuropathy is a neurological disorder that occurs when many peripheral nerves throughout the body malfunction simultaneously. It may be acute and appear without warning, or chronic and develop gradually over a longer period of time....
 may cause paraplegia if motor fibers are affected. While in theory the arms should also be affected, the fibers that supply the legs are longer and hence more vulnerable to damage. Larry Flynt
Larry Flynt

Larry Claxton Flynt, Jr. is an United States publisher and the head of Larry Flynt Publications .LFP mainly produces sexually graphic videos and magazines, most notably Hustler. The company has an annual turnover of approximately $300 million....
, noted pornography
Pornography

Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer. It is to a certain extent similar to erotica, which is the use of sexually arousing imagery....
 magnate, sustained this form of nerve damage when he was shot in a murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
 attempt in 1978, rendering him paraplegic.

Disability

While some people with paraplegia can walk
Walking

Walking is the main form of animal locomotion on Earth, distinguished from running and crawling . When carried out in shallow waters, it is usually described as wading and when performed over a steeply rising object or an obstacle it becomes scrambling or climbing....
 to a degree, many are dependent on wheelchair
Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability....
s or other supportive measures. Impotence and various degrees of urinary
Urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life....
 and fecal incontinence
Fecal incontinence

Fecal incontinence is the loss of regular control of the bowels. Involuntary excretion and leaking are common occurrences for those affected.Subjects relating to defecation are often socially unacceptable, thus those affected are often beset by feelings of shame and humiliation....
 are very common in those affected. Many use catheters and/or a bowel management program (often involving suppositories
Suppository

A suppository is a drug delivery system that is inserted either into the rectum , vagina or urethra where it dissolves.They are used to deliver both systemically-acting and locally-acting medications....
, enemas, or digital stimulation of the bowels) to address these problems. With successful bladder and bowel management, paraplegics can virtually prevent all accidental urinary or bowel discharges.

Complications

Due to decreased movement and loss of the ability to run, paraplegia may cause numerous medical complications, many of which can be prevented with vigilant self care. These include pressure sores (decubitus), thrombosis
Thrombosis

Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot, because the first step in repairing it is to prevent loss of blood....
 and pneumonia
Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an Inflammation illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolus inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....
. Physiotherapy and various assistive technology
Assistive technology

Assistive technology is a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for disability and includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them....
, such as a standing frame
Standing frame

A standing frame is assistive technology used by a child or adult who uses a wheelchair for mobility. A standing frame provides alternative positioning to sitting in a wheelchair by supporting the person in the standing position....
, may aid in preventing these complications.

Support organizations

  • Back-Up Trust
    Back-Up Trust

    The Back-Up Trust is a United Kingdom Charitable organization established for the benefit of people who have been paralysis through spinal cord injury....


See also

  • Quadriplegia
    Quadriplegia

    Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis affecting all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function....
  • Cauda equina syndrome
    Cauda equina syndrome

    Cauda equina syndrome is a serious neurology condition in which there is acute loss of function of the neurologic elements of the spinal canal below the termination of the spinal cord....