What are the symptoms of paraplegia

Paraplegia is a chronic disease that is more common among middle-aged and elderly people. Paraplegia has become very common in modern life, but many people delay treatment due to failure to detect it in time, which eventually leads to severe paraplegia. So, today I’m going to introduce to you the symptoms of paraplegia. And everyone should know that the symptoms of paraplegia are different in people of different ages.

What are the symptoms of paraplegia? The symptoms of paraplegia are sometimes not very typical and can easily be confused with other similar diseases. Therefore, patients should learn more about paraplegia so that they can better identify the symptoms of paraplegia. Only when patients understand the symptoms of paraplegia can they find the correct treatment and recover earlier. So, what are the symptoms of paraplegia?

(1) Congenital vertebral deformity is more common in 16 to 18 years old, with symptoms of low back pain, or deformities such as scoliosis. X-rays may show hemivertebra, wedge-shaped changes of vertebral bodies, fusion of two adjacent vertebrae, or rib deformities. The numbers of transverse processes of the pedicles and ribs on both sides are not equal. This type of congenital deformity should be differentiated from cured vertebral tuberculosis.

(B) Intervertebral disc degeneration occurs in people around 40 years old, especially those who do manual labor. It is common in the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. The edges of adjacent vertebrae are dense or have lip-like hyperplasia. There is no enlarged shadow beside the vertebrae. The patient's body temperature and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are normal.

(III) Lumbar disc herniation is more common in men aged 20 to 40 years old, causing low back pain and sciatica, which is aggravated by coughing. Examination showed lumbar scoliosis, reduced or disappeared physiological lordosis, and a positive straight leg raising test on the affected side, but the patient's erythrocyte sedimentation rate and body temperature were normal. Posterior lesions of L4-5 or L5-S1 tuberculosis are often confused with lumbar vertebrae.

(IV) Before the onset of suppurative inflammation of the spine, patients often have skin boils or other suppurative foci. The disease often occurs suddenly, with high body temperature, obvious symptoms of poisoning, obvious pain in the affected area, limited movement, and local soft tissue swelling and tenderness. X-rays of the vertebral bodies show bone destruction, narrowing of the intervertebral space, frequent dead bone formation, and usually no abscess formation. Bacterial and histological examinations should be performed to confirm the diagnosis.

(V) Spontaneous atlantoaxial dislocation often occurs secondary to pharyngeal inflammation. Children under 10 years old often hold their lower jaw with their hands, have torticollis, limited neck movement, and X-rays show anterior dislocation of the atlantocele and lateral or posterior displacement of the odontoid process, without bone destruction or cold abscess shadows. CT scans can aid in diagnosis.

Paraplegia has a great impact on the lives of many patients, so everyone needs to know more about diseases such as paraplegia. The symptoms of paraplegia in young people are mostly due to congenital reasons. After reading the above introduction, you should have some understanding of the symptoms of paraplegia that may occur in different age groups, which will help you better discover and treat them in life.