Paraparesis is a paralyzed condition of the limbs. This can happen to both hands and feet. You should know that paraparesis of the lower extremities is associated with dysfunction of the spinal cord. In some cases, the brain is affected.
What causes this disease?
Every disease or dysfunction has its own reasons. In order for the treatment process to become effective, it is necessary to determine the cause of paraparesis of the lower extremities. When it comes to a disease such as paraparesis, the main cause of its occurrence is myelopathy. This disease is understood as a violation in the work of the spinal cord. As a rule, the region of the spine in the cervical region is affected. In turn, myelopathy occurs due to the following pathologies. Causes of lower limb paraparesis:
- Osteochondrosis.
- Spondylosis.
- The presence of an inflammatory process.
Another cause ofparaparesis is an injury. It can affect part of the spinal cord. Also, the affected area can capture the spinal cord to such an extent that it will lead to its rupture. In addition, the injured part of the body can put pressure on the spinal cord with the vertebrae. This position can also lead to the fact that the limbs of a person will be partially paralyzed.
Other causes of illness
Tumor is also often found as a cause of limb paralysis. The fact is that this formation puts pressure on the spinal cord of a person. As a result, a violation of such a process as innervation begins. In this case, paraparesis of the lower extremities in adults.
But the disease is not always a mandatory manifestation of this type of complication. If it does show up, then there are two options. Namely, paralysis of the limbs can be gradual, or it can have a sharp character.
Symptoms
How does paraparesis of the lower extremities manifest itself, the treatment of which we will consider below? This disease has its own symptoms. These include the following signs:
- The skin of the legs ceases to be sensitive.
- Pain in the lower limbs. Also, the person notices that the legs begin to swell.
- The knee reflex is getting low.
- Muscles become weak.
- Having trouble bending or straightening the leg at the calf.
- It becomes impossible to flex or extend the hip.
- A person cannot step on the heel.
- The gait becomes unsteady and unsteady.
The peculiarity of the above symptoms is that they come on pretty quickly. However, they persist for quite a long time.
If the paraparesis of the lower extremities becomes severe, then dysfunction of the pelvic organs is added. In addition, the patient's muscles weaken. Then he develops apathy towards everything around him. It can be observed that a person's mood often changes. As a rule, it all generally becomes bad. Added to this is loss of appetite and indigestion. Also, the patient's body temperature rises. The human immune system fails. Therefore, the presence of infection in the body is added to all of the above.
Child has a problem
If we talk about children, then they may develop this disease as a result of an injury received during childbirth. It happens that the diagnosis is made incorrectly and in fact such a disease does not exist in the child's body. As they grow older, this diagnosis is either confirmed or refuted. The doctor who identifies the problem is qualified as a neurologist.
Stages of the disease
There are several stages of this disease.
- Minor pathology.
- Moderate.
- Severe pathology.
- Pronounced pathology.
If a person was diagnosed with "paraparesis of the lower extremities" (treatment is of interest to all patients), then any signs disappearsensation in the legs. External influences such as bruises or burns will also not cause any sensations in a person with such a diagnosis. People with this diagnosis need special attention, care and concern from loved ones. They also need to be under the supervision of doctors who will take into account any changes in their condition. As a rule, the above symptoms of the disease appear if a person is affected by the thoracic region of the spine.
Floppy paraparesis of the lower extremities may be the result of damage to the thoracic and lumbar region of the human spine.
How is the diagnosis made?
It is well known that the effectiveness of treatment depends on how accurately the disease is defined. Therefore, when a person contacts a medical institution for a diagnosis, he is invited to undergo the following types of examinations:
- Magnetic resonance imaging. You should be aware that this type of examination is usually carried out for a fee. It is not cheap, but if there are funds, then you should not refuse it, since MRI provides the most accurate results of the state of the human body. Through this study, pathological deviations from the norm can be identified and the area of \u200b\u200bdiseases can be understood.
- Myelography.
- Examination of CSF.
The patient's blood test is also scheduled. Urine is also needed as a material for examination. A blood test for HIV is also taken. In addition, it is determinedwhether there is such a disease in the body as syphilis. Also, to make a diagnosis, it is necessary to determine how much B12 is present in the patient's body. An important indicator is the level of folic acid.
Paraparesis of the lower extremities in adults. Treatment with massage and special gymnastics
Patients should be aware that paraparesis can occur due to several reasons. The treatment regimen will be selected individually, depending on what was the primary cause of the disease. The doctor must give the patient comprehensive information about his condition, talk about what caused this disease in his body, and determine the treatment regimen.
You also need to understand that only an integrated approach to improving your body will help make therapy effective. First of all, the patient is assigned a special massage. Its action is aimed at providing a person with the movement of nerve impulses through his body. Also, massage should provide nutrition to the tissues. This will have a positive effect on the healing process of the body. In addition to massage, the patient should do gymnastics. Based on the diagnosis, it can be concluded that the patient himself will not be able to perform the exercises. Therefore, the gymnastic complex is passive. The patient will be offered a course of exercises that a physiotherapist will help him perform. The specialist's task is to move the patient's limbs in accordance with a specially designed complex. Not worth itoverdo it with massage and physical activity. It is necessary to understand that a person is sick.
Therefore, all loads should be performed in accordance with the dosage determined by the attending physician. Also, if you feel any discomfort, you must inform the doctor. Perhaps there will be an adjustment to the training process and massage.
Spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities. Treatment
Usually, the patient and the doctor are given two tasks at once. The first is that it is necessary to cure the cause of the onset of the disease. And the second task is aimed at the treatment of directly paralyzed limbs. If therapy is carried out in two directions at once, then the treatment will be effective. Then the patient can count on a positive result.
In the case when the prescribed course of treatment does not bring the desired results, the person will be asked to perform surgery on his body. Then, through surgery, try to return it to normal life. Do not forget that a surgical operation always carries the risk of any complications both at the time of its implementation and after. But there are cases when surgery is the only chance that can restore the sensitivity of the legs to a person. The surgical method of treatment is able to remove the cause that a person's legs have become paralyzed. After the operation is done, the patient will be prescribed a recovery course. It includes physical therapy. Eventuallya person can fully recover and return to a normal lifestyle.
Spastic paraparesis in children
A disease such as paraparesis can be acquired or congenital. Spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities in children is extremely rare. More often the child is diagnosed with paralysis of the upper limb. This is due to damage to the plexus of the shoulder during childbirth. As a result, the child's hand is limited in movement. Otherwise, it doesn't lend itself to motor processes at all. Externally, such a hand is parallel to the body and is in an unbent state.
There are also cases when, due to birth trauma, the arm and leg of the child on one side of the body are subject to paraparesis. Or he may be paralyzed in both lower limbs. The cause of this condition of the body can also be a congenital disease of the spinal cord. In the case when the brain was affected during childbirth, paralysis will develop over time. Basically, changes in the body begin to be noticeable at the onset of two years of age. Here it is important that the child is examined by a highly qualified doctor. It is necessary to correctly diagnose and prescribe a treatment regimen that will give effective results.
Acquired disease in children
You should know that spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities in children can be an acquired disease. It occurs due to a violation of the functioning of the nervous system of the baby. In this case, symptoms such as muscle tone and reflex pathologies appear,which become visible. It is worth noting that in this case the spinal cord works normally, without any deviations.
It is much more difficult to diagnose "paraparesis" for a child than for an adult. Usually this disease develops in the child's body due to injury during the birth process. There are also cases when doctors play it safe and make such a diagnosis. In fact, however, it is absent. After a certain time, this diagnosis is refuted or confirmed. Paraparesis usually resolves in children in a relatively short period of time.
How to diagnose? What to do after?
It also happens that spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities in children is diagnosed when the child begins to walk. One of the symptoms of this disease is walking on toes. But this indicator is not a 100% symptom of the disease.
The fact is that walking on toes can be the result of other ailments in the child's body. It is impossible to accurately diagnose, therefore, paraparesis of the lower extremities in children. Treatment in this case is prescribed to remove muscle tone in the legs. Therefore, in this case, the child is assigned special gymnastics, massage and physiotherapy. As a rule, these methods have a beneficial effect on the baby.
Conclusion
Now it is clear what spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities is. These are functional failures in the work of the legs. This disease is associated with damage to the spinal column. In the lowerlimb strength is reduced. At the first sign of this disease, you must contact a medical facility.
