Everything about Paraplegia totally explained
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities. It is usually the result of
spinal cord injury or a
congenital condition such as
spina bifida 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.
Peripheral nervous system
Rarer is the type which is caused by damage to the
nerves supplying the legs. This form of damage isn't usually symmetrical and wouldn't cause paraplegia, but
polyneuropathy 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, noted
pornography magnate, sustained this form of nerve damage when he was shot in a
murder attempt in
1978, rendering him paraplegic.
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 and
pneumonia.
Physiotherapy and various
assistive technology, such as a
standing frame, may aid in preventing these complications.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Paraplegia'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://paraplegia.totallyexplained.com">Paraplegia Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
