Can incomplete paraplegia be cured? | Healing of paraplegia

Can incomplete paraplegia be cured?

An incomplete paraplegia has in principle the same chances of recovery as a complete paraplegia. The term incomplete merely describes that, for example, the right/left half or the front/rear part of the spinal cord is damaged, but not the entire cross-section. Thus, the symptoms in clinical pictures with incomplete paraplegia (Brown-Séquard syndrome or Arteria-spinalis-anterior syndrome) are different or more incomplete – but the degree of damage is the same.

Thus, even in the case of incomplete paraplegia, it can be assumed that the course of the disease is largely dependent on the progress made in the first weeks of treatment. The chances of recovery are rather low in the case of paraplegia. Overall, the prognosis depends on the degree of damage to the spinal cord and individual factors.

For example, if the cause is traumatic (accidental), the lesion should be surgically treated as soon as possible. In the case of invasive causes, such as tumors or bleeding, immediate relief can also have a positive effect on the course of the disease. The immediate consequence of damage is spinal shock, which in some cases can be completely or incompletely relieved.

It is assumed that there is hope for improvement of the symptoms if the paralysis symptoms (plegie) recede within a week. Rehabilitation can then be intensified at an early stage to achieve partial remission (partial cure) or even complete recovery. However, since this is a rather rare form of progression and the nervous system reacts very sensitively to damage, psychotherapeutic treatment must be started early on to make it easier for the patient to cope with the permanent consequential damage.

Rehabilitation

Complete paraplegia means that the patient is bound to the wheelchair for the rest of his life.Rehabilitation measures are therefore aimed primarily at helping patients regain the maximum possible independence. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are particularly important here. These include massages, swimming and above all physiotherapy.

With the help of certain exercises, muscles that are still functioning are trained and even muscles that are actually paralyzed can learn new movements in some cases, if individual nerves have remained undamaged. However, this requires intensive and often long-term training. Due to the bladder dysfunction caused by the impaired autonomic nervous system, many paraplegics are dependent on a bladder catheter.

Either they change the catheter themselves several times a day or they make use of an indwelling catheter that only needs to be changed every three to four weeks. Furthermore, they naturally try to prevent any form of consequential damage, such as stiffening of joints or bedsores. In order to make everyday life easier for the patient, various aids are used in the case of paraplegia, such as the wheelchair, the stair lift, special cutlery or individually adapted home furnishings. In addition, psychological support is usually necessary, at least in the initial phase of paraplegia. Further interesting information from this field of neurology: An overview of all already published topics from the field of neurology can be found here: Neurology A-Z

  • Paraplegia
  • Cross-section syndrome
  • Paraplegia symptoms
  • Nervous System
  • Brain
  • Spinal cord