From time to time, residents in Chicago, Illinois, get hurt in accidents. In the worst cases, serious injuries and wrongful death can be the result. In those cases, the people who get hurt, or their next of kin, can seek legal remedies. One particularly tough injury experienced by some people after an accident is paralysis.
Paralysis is an inability to control muscles or a group of muscles in a particular part of the body. That corresponds to an inability to will movement in that part of the body, with that lack of ability to move being generally understood to be the hallmark of paralysis. Often, the problem is not with the affected muscles themselves, but rather with the nervous system’s ability to communicate with those muscles. Simply put, the muscles don’t receive the signals that the mind sends them because something is wrong in the transmission process. It is like having two working phones, but neither being able to communicate with the other because of a problem in the telephone line that connects them.
There are different kinds of paralysis. Partial paralysis, also called paresis, is when there is still some control over the muscles, and contrasts with complete paralysis, when there is no control over the muscles. Some forms of paralysis are temporary, while others are permanent. Some forms of paralysis are labeled flaccid, meaning that the muscles become flabby and shrink, while other forms of paralysis are labeled spastic, because the muscles get hard and tight and have spasms. Paralysis can also be generalized, throughout a wide area of the body, or localized, affecting just one part of the body.
In all cases, it is important to secure first-class medical attention right away. Don’t presume that it is temporary, get a qualified physician to examine you thoroughly and determine the causes and any possible path for treating it.
Source: Cleveland Clinic, “Paralysis,” accessed Feb. 28, 2018