What Are the Four Types of Paralysis?
Posted in Lawsuit on September 16, 2019
Paralysis is a debilitating condition where you lose movement in a part of your body as a result of an accident or medical condition. Because paralysis can affect different percentages of the body and different areas, experts classify the condition into four main types: monoplegia, paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia. If you’ve been affected, contact a Kansas City spinal cord injury attorney.
How Do Doctors Classify Paraplegia?
Paralysis can occur in a number of ways, varying in severity and how much of the body loses its ability to move and feel. Depending on the circumstances of your accident, your paralysis may completely affect your body or just one part of it. You may have some movement and sensation below the injury, or completely lose function in that area.
Typically, medical professionals consider the following factors when determining how to classify paralysis.
- This factor concerns where the paralysis impacts your body and which body parts you may lose function in. Doctors usually use location to classify your paralysis into one of the four main types.
- Not all instances of paralysis are permanent, and some may be temporary. The doctors will look at whether time or treatment will help you regain sensation and movement in the affected area.
- Your paralysis may affect different areas of your body and have varying degrees of severity. You may have some control in the affected area, or you completely lose feeling and motion.
- Flaccid or spastic. Flaccid paralysis leads to muscle weakness, which spastic paralysis leads to tightening or hardening muscles.
The Four Main Types of Paralysis
When diagnosing a case of paralysis, doctors will usually begin by examining which part of the body is undergoing the paralysis symptoms. There are two categories of paralysis: localized and generalized. Localized paralysis only affects one part of your body, while generalized paralysis may affect multiple body parts.
Based on where the generalized paralysis occurs, doctors will typically classify the condition under one of the following four main types.
- Monoplegia occurs when the paralysis only impacts one arm or one leg.
- Paraplegia occurs when the paralysis impacts both of your legs.
- Hemiplegia occurs when the paralysis only affects one arm and one leg on the same side.
- Quadriplegia or tetraplegia occurs when the paralysis impacts all four limbs.
What Damages Can You Recover in a Paralysis Lawsuit?
Treatment for paralysis is available, but it may be very expensive and last for a long time, depending on the circumstances of your injury. Many people cannot afford these costs out of pocket, and you may not have enough insurance to cover these necessary treatments. What options do you have in these situations?
If you are suffering from your paralysis as a result of an accident that was not your fault, you have the right to recover compensation for your damages. If you can prove that another person, entity, or group is responsible for the accident that led to your paralysis, you can hold them responsible in a personal injury lawsuit.
You can recover many different types of losses in a personal injury lawsuit, as long as they all relate back to the injury you suffered.
- Past and future medical expenses relating to your paralysis
- Lost wages during recovery or rehabilitative time
- Loss of future income or earning ability if the paralysis impacts your ability to continue working or go back to your old job
- Chronic pain and emotional distress, as well as other pain and suffering damages
- Home accommodations and mobility equipment
- Medications, surgeries, and rehabilitative therapies
- Property damage sustained in the court of the accident
Paralysis is a serious condition that can often last for the rest of your life. Depending on the circumstances of your injury, you may have to receive ongoing rehabilitative treatment and lose a significant amount of your independence. Due to the severity of this injury, you could claim compensation through a personal injury lawsuit for your damages. Contact a Kansas City personal injury attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case and legal options.