• Question: How does paralysis happen? What causes it?

    Asked by lucario13 to Alexis, Dr D, Helen, Jasmine, Mario on 18 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Alexis Barr

      Alexis Barr answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      Paralysis is most often caused by damage to the nervous system. Most commonly, this would be damage to the spinal cord. But it can also be caused by Parkinson’s disease, Polio or stroke.

    • Photo: Andrew Devitt

      Andrew Devitt answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      @lucario13
      Your brain can be sending messages but if they aren’t being heard in your limbs, then there’s no movement. Damage to your nerves is really serious because these cells are with you for life and aren’t easily replaced. Look after yourself!

    • Photo: Jasmine Penny

      Jasmine Penny answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Paralysis is the loss of ability to move your muscles. When you damage your nerves it means that signals from the brain can’t get through to your muscles. In parts of the body that are affected you may not feel anything and your limbs will not respond. There are a few different causes of paralysis, including stroke, head injury, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. There are also different names for the level of paralysis:

      monoplegia – where one limb is paralysed
      hemiplegia – where the arm and leg on one side of the body are paralysed
      paraplegia – where both legs and sometimes the pelvis and some of the lower body are paralysed
      tetraplegia – where both the arms and legs are paralysed (also known as quadriplegia)

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