Quadriplegia, also known as quadriplegia is a term in the field of medicine and it means four limb paralysis.
A person in this condition loses mobility in the upper and lower limbs, also losing control of the trunk muscles. Quadriplegia can result from brain disorders, spinal cord disorders, system disorders. peripheral nervous, neuromuscular diseases and in rarer cases, it can be the result of diseases muscle.
There is a difference between quadriplegia and quadriplegia. Although both condition or paralyze the four limbs, the factor that causes this paralysis is different. Quadriplegia is caused by damage to the upper spinal cord (usually between the first and seventh cervical vertebrae), whereas quadriplegia is the result of damage to the brain.
Quadriplegia can drastically reduce a person's mobility or even paralyze it completely, and even the act of breathing can be difficult for the person in question. A large part of these paralysis is caused by strokes (cerebrovascular accidents), or accidents (many of them by car).
In the case of paraplegia (in which the arms are not affected), a person with quadriplegia has all limbs paralyzed, which means that they will have even less autonomy, needing permanent care from other people. Tasks that seem simple for people with full mobility - how to feed and take care of your own hygiene - become very complicated for people in this condition, needing someone to help with this area.
A quadriplegic patient needs a special wheelchair, which moves with the movement of the chin or by blowing. In addition, they need a device that helps them maintain an upright posture and in many cases they need a device that helps their breathing.
Spastic and athetoid quadriplegia
Spastic and athetoid quadriplegia are types of cerebral palsy that affect the entire body. In the case of spastic quadriplegia, the lower limbs are usually more affected than the upper ones, while in athetoid quadriplegia the arms are generally more affected. A large number of spastic children and all athetoid children have ataxia, rigidity or flaccidity.
Quadriparesis
Quadriparesis is a cerebral palsy where the child's entire body is affected, and the upper limbs are more affected.