paraplegia

(păr'ə-plē'jē-ə, -jə)

[Greek dialectal paraplēgiē, hemiplegia, from paraplēssesthai, paraplēg-, to be paralyzed, from paraplēssein, to strike on one side : para-, beside; see para-¹ + plēssein, to strike.]

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Paralysis of the hindlimb and, in some cases, the posterior part of the body caudal to the last cervical vertebrae. The paralysis may be acute in onset as in fracture of a lumbar vertebra, or gradual; it may be spastic or flaccid.
Paraplegia is a form of central nervous system paralysis, in which the paralysis affects all the muscles of the parts involved. In the majority of cases, paraplegia results from disease or injury of the spinal cord that causes interference with nerve paths connecting the brain and the muscles.

• inherited congenital p. — is observed in cattle and pigs. The paralysis may be flaccid or spastic and there may or may not be degenerative lesions in the spinal cord.

Paralysis characterized by motor or sensory loss in the lower limbs and trunk. Approximately 11,000 spinal cord injuries reported each year in the United States involve paraplegia. Such events occur as a result of automobile and motorcycle accidents, sporting accidents, falls, and gunshot wounds.

• Defects and Disabilities - paraplegia: paralysis of both legs due to disease or spinal injury

Not to be confused with Spastic paraplegia.

Paraplegia
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	G82.1
ICD-9	334.1, 344.1
MeSH	D010264

Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal. The area of the spinal canal that is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. If both arms are also affected by paralysis, quadriplegia is the proper terminology. If only one limb is affected, the correct term is monoplegia.

Spastic paraplegia is a form of paraplegia defined by spasticity of the affected muscles, rather than flaccid paralysis.

Contents 1 Disability 2 Complications 3 See also 4 References

Disability

While some people with paraplegia can walk to a degree, many are dependent on wheelchairs or other supportive measures. Depending on the level and extent of spinal damage, people with paraplegia may experience some, or complete loss of sensation in the affected limbs. Impotence and various degrees of urinary and fecal incontinence may also occur. Many^[who?] use catheters or a bowel management program (often involving suppositories, enemas, or digital stimulation of the bowels) to address these problems.^{[citation needed]} With successful bladder and bowel management, paraplegics can prevent virtually all accidental urinary or bowel discharges..^{[citation needed]} Some^[who?] paraplegics prefer the use of incontinence products, such as Depend, as an alternative.^{[citation needed]}

Complications

Due to the decrease or loss of feeling or function in the lower extremities, paraplegia can contribute to a number of medical complications including pressure sores (decubitus), thrombosis, and pneumonia. Physiotherapy and various assistive technology, such as a standing frame, as well as vigilant self-observation and -care, may aid in helping to prevent future complications and mitigate existing complications.

As paraplegia is most often the result of a traumatic injury to the spinal cord tissue and the resulting inflammation, other nerve-related complications can and do occur. Cases of chronic nerve pain in the areas surrounding the point of injury are not uncommon. There is speculation that the "phantom pains" experienced by individuals suffering from paralysis could be a direct result of these collateral nerve injuries misinterpreted by the brain.

See also

Look up paraplegia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Hemiplegia
• Quadriplegia
• Cauda equina syndrome
• The Body Silent

References

v d e Cerebral palsy and other syndromes (G80–G83, 342–344) Paresis and plegia NOS Paralysis · Quadriplegia · Triplegia · Hemiplegia/Hemiparesis · Paraplegia/Diplegia · Monoplegia Flaccidity vs. spasticity Upper motor neuron lesion: Pseudobulbar palsy · Spastic diplegia · Spastic paraplegia  · Hereditary spastic paraplegia Lower motor neuron lesion: Bulbar palsy · Flaccid paralysis Specific types Cerebral palsy · Cauda equina syndrome · Locked-in syndrome M: CNS anat(n/s/m/p/4/e/b/d/c/a/f/l/g)/phys/devp noco(m/d/e/h/v/s)/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(N1A/2AB/C/3/4/7A/B/C/D)

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - paraplegi (dobbeltsidig lammelse)

Nederlands (Dutch)
verlamming van benen en (deel van) romp, paraplegie

Français (French)
n. - paraplégie

Deutsch (German)
n. - Paraplegie, Querschnittslähmung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (παθολ.) παραπληγία

Italiano (Italian)
paraplegia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - paralisia (f)

Русский (Russian)
паралич нижней части тела

Español (Spanish)
n. - paraplejía

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - paraplegi, dubbelsidig förlamning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
半身不遂, 截瘫

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 半身不遂, 截癱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 하반신 불수

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 対麻痺

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الكساحه : شلل يصيب النصف السفلي من الجسد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שיתוק הרגליים‬

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