• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

HealthMD

HealthMD

You are here: Home / Information / Paraparesis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Paraparesis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

By surekha

Paraparesis is a neurological disorder that causes partial paralysis of the limbs. There will be mild to severe weakness or paralysis on the hands or limbs. This disorder cannot be cured but it can be managed by therapy. There are several factors which causes this disorder. Usually it cannot be cured however the symptoms can be managed.

Types :

Two types of paraparesis are recognized.

1. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is the first type which is genetic in nature. The parent will have some numbness or weakness in the extreme muscles and the nerve degenerates slowly and causes paralysis to the offspring. Parents with this kind of weakness or tingling sensation have greater chances to pass it on the disorder to their children than healthy individuals.

2. The second type of paraparesis is tropical spastic paraplegia. It is caused by virus infection on the spinal cord. Human T lymphotropic virus slowly causes nerve infection which would then gradually damages the nerve functions. The first sign of symptoms will appear when the individual enters into the adulthood (30-40 years). The symptoms originate commonly after one has travelled to tropical region.

Causes :

As mentioned above, this disorder can be caused by genetic causes or by virus infection on the spinal cord. People can get his disorder due to nerve injury during accident. The infection may worsen as time progresses causing more and more weakness of the limbs and hands, restricting the people to be on wheelchairs. After identifying the initial signs one should consult a physiotherapist to learn how to cope up with this disorder.

Symptoms :

Initially the disease will not show any symptoms. After the spread of infection it would begin as weakness in legs or in the form of urinary incontinence. In men it may cause erectile dysfunction and some people may lose sense in the extremities due to intense nerve damage.

In severe cases, there may be considerable changes in gait and it becomes difficult to attain normal method of walking. For some people there can be frequent bowel movement. It can cause paralysis on the legs and hands making him unable to use them. Hyperflexia is also seen on some people. In rare cases, it may affect optical nerves causing vision problem and dementia (loss of memory).

Read more on Sciatic Nerve Pain

Diagnoses :

Your doctor may look out for the above symptoms of weakness of limbs, tingling sensation and numbness on hands. He would do MRI scan or a lumbar puncture test to identify the HLTV virus and swelling of spinal cord.

Treatment :

Treatment varies with the intensity of damage caused to the nerves and the age of the patient. Since there is no medical cure for this problem, the patient will have to learn to manage with this disorder successfully. Physical therapy is given for regaining muscle strength. Medications like corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory drugs are given to reduce swelling of nerves in spinal cord. Often the treatment is to be continued for the entire life to avoid any complications.

Some doctors prescribe interferon alpha therapy for quick relief of symptoms and also interferon beta method. Lioresal is prescribed for patients with stiff muscles. For treating bowel and urinary incontinence oxybutynin is given. Baclofen injection is given for reducing spasticity and relaxing stiffness of muscles. For controlling pain diazepam and clonazepam are given in proper dosage.

Regular physiotherapy is given to manage daily activities and to reduce muscle rigidity. Stretching exercises, strengthening exercises are practiced daily for managing muscle difficulties and for increasing range of movements. Further aerobic exercises are to be done for keeping fit and enhancing endurance.

Related posts:

  1. Spinal Stenosis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Surgery
  2. CoxsackieVirus – Infection, Symptoms, Treatment, Type, Pictures
  3. Zika Virus – Babies, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Pregnancy, Transmission
  4. Groin Strain (Groin Muscle Pain) – Anatomy, Symptoms, Treatment, Prognosis
  5. Muscle Atrophy
  6. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Home Remedies
  7. What is Myasthenia Gravis
  8. Pinched Nerve
  9. Piriformis Syndrome
  10. Tingling (Numbness) In The Face and Back Of The Head – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Filed Under: Information

Primary Sidebar

Learn More:

Also Read:

Chest Congestion – Causes, Symptoms, Remedies

Hyperemesis Gravidarum – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Is It Right To Have Unprotected Sex Before Periods? What Can Be The Outcome?

Menstrual Diarrhea (During Monthly Periods) – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Home Remedies

Mole Skin Cancer

Corneal Abrasion

Polycythemia Vera

11 Natural Home Remedies For Acne

Bipolar Disorder – Symptoms, Tests, Causes, Types, Treatment

Tooth Decay – Cure, Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Pyelonephritis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Forearm Pain (Lower Arm) – Causes, Symptoms, Home Remedies, Treatment, Nerves

Thrombocythemia

Hemorrhagic Fever – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention

11th Week of Pregnancy – Symptoms, Ultrasound

Search and Learn More

www.healthmd.net

  • About Us
  • Dr. Latheef Kasala, Ph.D
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
SettingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT