Hemiplegia

From ArticleWorld

Hemiplegia is a medical condition that involves the paralysis of a vertical part of one's body. Some specialists consider hemiparesis to be the same as hemiplegia, although most of them consider the former to be less severe.

Symptoms and causes

There are various reasons for a hemiplegia to appear. Hemiplegia often appears after a stroke, but it is also associated with various diseases that damage the spinal cord. Damage to the brain's hemispheres, either due to a disease or to physical shocks, can also cause hemiplegia.

Cerebral palsy is also known to cause hemiplegia in some cases. However, since cerebral palsy usually leads to spasms, if it only causes hemiplegia is qualified just as hemiplegia.

Therapy

Physical therapy is often use in hemiplegia, because, if the damage is reversible, functionality can be regained. Various support groups for people suffering of hemiplegia exist. Children affected by hemiplegia can be integrated in normal education, although some extra caution is needed from the teacher. It is important to note that hemiplegia is not connected in any way with the intelligence level. It only affects motor functions, impairing some basic skills children use at school (like cutting or printing) but they have a normal mental development.