Paraparesis of lower extremities in children and adults: causes, treatment

Paraparesis refers to the paralyzed state of the limbs. This can happen with both hands and feet. It should be noted that paraparesis of the lower extremities is associated with impaired spinal cord function. In some cases, the brain is affected.

What are the causes of such an ailment?

Every disease or occurrence of some kind of dysfunction has its own reasons. In order for the treatment process to become effective, it is necessary to determine, as a result, paraparesis of the lower limbs. When it comes to a disease such as paraparesis, the main cause of its occurrence is myelopathy. Under this ailment is a violation in the work of the spinal cord. As a rule, the region of the spine in the cervical region lends itself to defeat. In turn, myelopathy arises from the following pathologies. The causes of paraparesis of the lower extremities:

1. Osteochondrosis.
2. Spondylosis.
3. The presence of an inflammatory process.

Another cause of paraparesis is trauma. 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 press the spinal cord with vertebrae. This situation can also lead to the fact that the limbs of man will be partially paralyzed.

Other causes of the disease

The tumor is also often found as the cause of paralysis of the limbs. The fact is that this education puts pressure on the human spinal cord. 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 manifest itself, then there are two options. Namely, the paralysis of the limbs can be gradual, but can have a sharp character.

Symptoms

How does paraparesis of the lower extremities manifest themselves, the treatment of which we shall consider below? This disease has its symptoms of manifestation. These include the following:

1. The skin of the legs is not sensitive.
2. There are painful sensations in the lower limbs. Also, the person notices that the legs begin to swell.
3. Becomes a low level of knee reflex.
4. The muscles become weakened.
5. There are problems with bending or unbending the leg in the shin area.
6. It becomes impossible to bend or unbend the hip.
7. A person can not tread on the heel.
8. The walk becomes uncertain and shaky.

The peculiarity of the above symptoms is that they come rather quickly. However, they remain quite a long time.

If paraparesis of the lower extremities goes into a severe form, then dysfunction of the pelvic organs is added. In addition, the patient's muscles are weakened. Then he gets apathy to everything around him. It can be observed that a person often changes his mood. As a rule, it all becomes generally bad. To this is added a loss of appetite and indigestion. The patient also has a fever. The immune system of a person is failing. Therefore, all of the above is added to the presence of infection in the body.

Problem in the child

If to speak about children, at them the given disease can arise as consequence of the trauma received during sorts. It happens that the diagnosis is wrong and in fact there is no such disease in the child's body. As you grow older, this diagnosis is either confirmed or refuted. The doctor who determines the problem is qualified as a neurologist.

The stages of the disease

There are several stages of the disease.

1. Minor pathology.
2. Moderate.
3. Pronounced pathology.
4. A pronounced pathology.

If a person is diagnosed with "paraparesis of the lower extremities" (the treatment is of interest to all patients), then there are no signs of sensitivity in the legs. Such external influences, like bruises or burns, also will not cause any sensations in a person with such a diagnosis. People with this diagnosis need special attention, care and concern from close people. They also need to be under the supervision of doctors who will take into account any changes in the condition. Typically, the above symptoms of the disease manifest in the event that a person has a lesion of the thoracic region of the spine.

Sluggish paraparesis of the lower extremities may be a consequence of the lesion of 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 determined. Therefore, when a person turns to a medical institution for diagnosis, he is asked to undergo such types of examination:

1. Magnetic resonance imaging. You should know that this type of survey is usually paid for. It is not cheap, but if you have the means, you should not abandon it, since MRI gives the most accurate results of the state of the human body. Through this study, you can identify abnormal abnormalities and understand the area of the disease.
2. Myelography.
3. Examination of cerebrospinal fluid.

Also, the delivery of the patient's blood test is assigned. Still need urine as a material for examination. Blood is also taken for HIV. In addition, it is determined whether there is a disease in the body, such as syphilis. Also for the diagnosis it is necessary to reveal how much B12 is present in the patient's body. An important indicator is the level of folic acid.

Paraparesis of lower extremities in adults. Treatment with massage and special gymnastics

Patients should be aware that paraparesis may occur due to several reasons. The treatment regimen will be selected individually, depending on what was the primary cause of the disease. The doctor should give the patient an exhaustive information about his condition, tell you about what caused the disease in his body, and determine the scheme of treatment.

It is also necessary to understand that only an integrated approach to the improvement of one's own organism will help to make the therapy effective. First of all, the patient is given a special massage. Its action is aimed at providing a person with a movement of nerve impulses through his body. Also massage should provide nutrition to tissues. This will favorably affect the process of recovery of the body. In addition to massage the patient should be engaged in gymnastics. Based on the diagnosis, we can conclude that the patient himself will not be able to perform the exercises. Therefore, the gym is passive. The patient will be offered a course of exercises, which will help him physician-physiotherapist. The task of the specialist is to move the patient's limbs in accordance with a specially designed complex. Do not overdo with the massage and physical exertion. It is necessary to understand that a person is sick.

Therefore, all loads must be performed in accordance with the dosage determined by the attending physician. Also, with any uncomfortable sensations, it is necessary to inform the doctor. Perhaps, an adjustment will be made to the process of training and massage.

Spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities. Treatment

Usually two problems are put before the patient and the doctor 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 treating directly paralyzed limbs. If therapy is carried out immediately in two directions, then the treatment will be effective. Then the patient can count on a positive result.

In the event that the prescribed course of treatment does not bring the desired results, a person will be asked to conduct an operative intervention in his body. Then through surgery, try to bring him back to normal life. Do not forget that a surgical operation always carries the risk of any complications, both at the time of it and after. But there are cases when surgical intervention is the only chance that can return a person the sensitivity of the legs. The surgical method of treatment is able to remove the cause of the fact that the legs of a person have become paralyzed. After the operation is done, the patient will be given a recovery course. It includes exercise therapy. As a result, a person can fully recover and return to a normal lifestyle.

Spastic paraparesis in children

Such a disease, as paraparesis, can have acquired or innate character. 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 consequence, the child's hand is limited in movement. Or else it does not lend itself to motor processes. Outwardly, this hand is parallel to the body and is in a straightened state.

Also, there are cases when due to birth trauma, paraparesis is affected by the hand and leg of the child on one side of the body. Or both lower limbs can be paralyzed. The cause of this state 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 with time. Basically, changes in the body begin to be noticeable when the onset of the two-year age. It is important that the child is examined by a doctor of high qualification. It is necessary to correctly diagnose and prescribe a treatment regimen that will give effective results.

Acquired disease in children

It should be noted that spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities in children may be an acquired ailment. It arises from a malfunction of the nervous system of the baby. In this case, such symptoms as muscle tone and reflex pathologies, which become visible. It is worth noting that the spinal cord is functioning normally, without any deviations.

To make the diagnosis of "paraparesis" to a child is much more difficult than to an adult. Usually this disease develops in the child's body due to injury during the birth process. There are also cases when doctors are reinsured and make such a diagnosis. In this case, in fact, it is absent. After a certain time, this diagnosis is refuted or confirmed. Paraparesis usually occurs in children in a relatively short period of time.

How to diagnose? What to do after?

It also happens that the 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 socks. But this indicator is not a 100% symptom of the disease.

The fact is that walking on your toes can be a consequence of other ailments in the child's body. It is impossible to accurately diagnose, thus, paraparesis of the lower extremities in children. Treatment in this case is appointed in order to remove muscle tone in the legs. Therefore the child in this case 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. This is a functional malfunction in the legs. This ailment is associated with the defeat of the column of the spine. In the lower limbs of a person, strength is reduced. At the first sign of this ailment it is necessary to apply to a medical institution.