Paralysis

Also called: Hemiplegia, Palsy, Paraplegia, Quadriplegia

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Summary

Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of your body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia.

Most paralysis is due to strokes or injuries such as spinal cord injury or a broken neck. Other causes of paralysis include:

Nerve diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Autoimmune diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome
Bell's palsy, which affects muscles in the face

Polio used to be a cause of paralysis, but polio no longer occurs in the U.S.

Start Here

Causes of Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Newly Paralyzed Support (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Living With

How to Cope with Injury Depression (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Life After Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Living with Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Related Issues

Bedsores (Pressure Ulcers) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Emergency Preparedness for People with Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Secondary Conditions (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Stay Healthy on the Road (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
Wheelchairs For Spinal Cord Injuries (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Specifics

Brown-Sequard Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Locked-in Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Genetics

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hypokalemic periodic paralysis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Juvenile primary lateral sclerosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spastic paraplegia type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spastic paraplegia type 31: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spastic paraplegia type 4: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spastic paraplegia type 7: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Troyer syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

Raise Your Voice: Succeeding through Self-Advocacy (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Statistics and Research

Spinal Cord Injury Prevalence in the U.S. (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemiplegia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Paralysis (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Paraplegia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Quadriplegia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Spinal Cord Injuries (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Find a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
Find a Rehab Center (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Children

Newly Diagnosed: What Do I Do Next? (For Parents) (Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association)
Parenting (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Women

Pregnancy and Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center)

Patient Handouts

Facial paralysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hypokalemic periodic paralysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Muscle function loss (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Paralysis is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.