Health Dictionary
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Quadriplegia pathophysiology
Introduction
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Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology
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]