PARALYSIS
PARALYSIS is the inability of a person to move his limbs as he desires. If a person can move his limbs as he desires, to some extent and not fully, then one would say that he suffers from muscle weakness.
How is paralysis caused?
1. Diseases of bones,
muscles
2. Diseases of the
spinal cord, the brain
3. Injury to bones,
muscles, brain, the spinal cord
A paralytic child may suffer from any of the following :--
1. Hemiplegia
(stroke)
2. Paraplegia
3. Quadriplegia
4. Polio
Stroke or Hemiplegia refers to parlysis of one side of the body. Stroke sometimes affects the other side of the face. In many right-sided strokes, it is accompanied by loss or impairment of speech.
A stroke is generally a result of
1. high blood
pressure
2. inadequate
or no blood supply to a part of the
brain
3. head injury,
damaging the brain
2. PARAPLEGIA
Paraplegia refers to numbness or loss of movement in the legs or inability to control the calls of nature i.e. passing urine or evacuation, partially or fully.
3. QUADRIPLEGIA
This disability refers to a total loss of movement of all the limbs and the trunk, accompanied by loss of control over urine and bowel movement. Generally this condition is a result of disease or injury to the spinal-cord at the neck level.
4. Polio
Polio is a disease
caused by a virus infection. Generally children under
five years of age are
susceptible to it.
HOW DOES ONE MANAGE PARALYSIS?
Proper positioning and specific exercises must be taught to paralytic patients so that the muscle power and balance is maintained and contractures are prevented. Again, to avoid bed sores, which might occur due to constant pressure at particular points of the body,when a patient is in bed for a long time, it is important that his position is changed every two hours, from back to side,side to abdomen and vice versa.
We talked about contractures. What does that mean?
Exercise is essential for any child with locomotor disability whether caused by congenital deformity , polio, paralysis, cerebral palsy, stroke or amputation. Click HERE to view exercises in detail.