Paralysis Symptoms: Types, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Paralysis, also called palsy, is a medical condition in which part or whole of the affected person’s body becomes incapable of movement. It may be local paralysis (being unable to move one part of the body) or severe quadriplegia (which affects the whole body). It can be caused by physical trauma such as an accident or by diseases such as a brain tumour or stroke.

Symptoms of Paralysis:

The most common characteristic features of paralysis are as follows:

Sudden or gradual onset of numbness of:

• Face
• One of the arms or legs
• Both the legs
• Both the arms and legs
• One side of the body

Spastic or Flaccid muscles in the affected area

• Loss of balance while walking or standing
• Sensory disorientation
• Dizziness and fainting

Causes of Paralysis

Paralysis can be caused by:

• Nervous tissue damage
• Muscle tissue damage
• Metabolic disease

Paralysis from Nervous Tissue Damage

The most common cause of paralysis is damage to the corticospinal tracts and associated motor tracts in one hemisphere of the brain. This can happen from a blood clot (thrombosis) or from cerebral haemorrhage. Paralysis is also, but less commonly, caused by brain tumour, and its severity increases gradually over a period of weeks or months.

Paralysis from Muscle Tissue Damage

The most common diseases attacking the lower motor neurons and resulting in paralysis, are poliomyelitis and polyneuritis. Poliomyelitis affects the cell bodies or the bulbar and spinal motor neurons, while polyneuritis affects their peripheral processes. Diseases like muscular dystrophy result in paralysis through primary changes in muscle tissue.

Paralysis from Metabolic Disease

Diseases of endocrine glands, certain intoxications, and several metabolic defects may cause muscular weakness and disturb metabolism, leading to paralysis.

Other causes of paralysis include:

• Stroke
• Head injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Multiple sclerosis
• Cerebral palsy
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)
• Familial Periodic Paralysis

Types of Paralysis

Types of Paralysis

Depending on the level of inability of movement and nature of the problem, paralysis is divided into the following:

• Partial - Only some muscle groups become incapable of movement
• Complete - The whole body becomes incapable of movement
• Temporary - In this case, the paralysis is induced medically, or by neurotoxins.
• Permanent - In this case, the paralytic condition is irreversible and is generally induced by the damage of nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord.
• Flaccid - In this condition, the muscles become flaccid and shrink.
• Spastic - In this condition, the muscles jerk and move erratically.

Paralysis can also be classified on the basis of the affected regions of the body.

• Monoplegia - It affects only one limb.
• Hemiplegia - It affects one side of the body.
• Diplegia - It affects the same area of both sides of the body, that is, only both arms or only both legs.
• Paraplegia - It affects only both legs.
• Quadriplegia - Also called tetraplegia, it affects all four limbs, and in some cases, the whole torso. The inner organs remain unaffected.

Treatments for Paralysis:

The temporary paralysis can be treated. The nerves and muscles can be stimulated by heat massages, exercises, physiotherapy or even electrical stimulations. However, no cure has been discovered yet for permanent paralysis. To this day, it remains an irreversible medical condition.

Things to Remember:

• Paralysis is a part of CBSE class 11 biology syllabus.
• It comes under unit 5, Human Physiology, chapter 20, Locomotion and Movement and carries a total of 3 to 5 marks.
• A paralytic stroke can often lead to lifelong physical incapacitation or immobility.
• Paralysis can be induced by sleep as well, which prevents limbs from flailing about and causing injury.
• Anaesthesia causes “controlled” paralysis to induce numbness and purposeful movements during surgeries.
• The term ‘palsy’ is sometimes used to refer to the loss of muscle power in a body part.