Paralysis occurs when a muscle or muscle group loses its ability to function due to a nerve becoming damaged or severed. In addition to limited functionality, a victim of paralysis also likely to lose their sense of touch in the afflicted area.
Types of Paralysis Injuries
Most paralysis injuries occur when the accident victim strikes their head, back, or neck on the ground or some on some other object. These injuries can also happen when the accident victim’s spinal cord flexes beyond its normal range of motion during the course of an accident.
Paralysis injuries can take on a variety of different forms and may involve one or several parts of the accident victim’s body. The following are the most common ways in which paralysis manifests:
- Monoplegia – Paralysis of one limb on the accident victim’s body
- Hemiplegia – Paralysis of the arm and leg on one side of the accident victim’s body
- Paraplegia – Paralysis of both legs on the accident victim’s body
- Tetraplegia – Paralysis of both arms and legs on the accident victim’s body
