Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Quadriplegia medical therapy
Introduction
Medical Therapy
Medical Therapy
In high-level cervical injuries, total paralysis from the neck can result. High-level tetraplegics (C4 and higher) will likely need constant care and assistance in activities of daily living, such as getting dressed, eating and bowel and bladder care. Low-level tetraplegics (C5 to C7) can often live independently.
Even with “complete” injuries, in some rare cases, through intensive rehabilitation, slight movement can be regained through “rewiring” neural connections, as in the case of the late actor Christopher Reeve.[1]
In the case of cerebral palsy, which is caused by damage to the motor cortex either before, during (10%) or after birth and some tetraplegics are gradually able to learn to stand or walk through physical therapy
References
References
- ↑ “Man of steel — Christopher Reeve talks about life as a quadriplegic”. The Guardian. September 17, 2002.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]