Paralysis means the loss of normal muscle function in a part of the body. It can occur to any part of the body such as just the legs, just the arms, or complete lower or upper body paralysis. The signals from the brain to that part of the body will stop, as a result of which, the person will not be able to move that part of the body. There will be a complete loss of sensation in that body part, the person will not be able to feel any pain or anything else.

Types of Paralysis:
Based on which part of the body is affected by paralysis, you can classify paralysis into four types:

When just one limb is paralyzed, it is called MONOPLEGIA.
When one side of the body is paralyzed, such as a leg and an arm, then it is called HEMIPLEGIA.
When the lower part of the body is paralyzed, then it is called PARAPLEGIA.
When both your legs and arms are paralyzed, it is called QUADRIPLEGIA.
How is Paralysis caused?
Our sensation and movement are controlled by the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. So, when there is any disruption in the communication between the brain and the muscles, muscle movement and control will be affected. In the long term, this will cause weakness in the muscles and finally, end with paralysis.

How does physiotherapy help with paralysis?
Basically, there is one important thing that you need to know about paralysis and that is there is no treatment available for paralysis. But physiotherapy offers a ray of hope. It may not help in treating this problem totally, but the person with paralysis will be able to get independent and more mobile.

The first thing you need to do is, you should start the physiotherapy treatment as soon as a person is affected with paralysis. You should not waste a lot of time. Early treatment can offer better results.
The main objective of physiotherapy for any patient is to make them as mobile as possible.
When you are undergoing physiotherapy treatment for paralysis, it will stop the progress of the paralysis.
If the paralysis is due to an external injury to your brain, then you will be highly benefited by physiotherapy. The physiotherapist will start working on the external swelling and also on the muscles that are not affected by the trauma. This will result in making a paralyzed person more mobile.
Physiotherapy is always considered as one of the best treatments for many health conditions. Many experts recommend physiotherapy for paralysis.

How Does Physiotherapy Help In Paralysis?

Facial paralysis can happen due to many factors. Sometimes inflammation develops around the facial nerve as it passes through the skull from the brain. This presses on the nerve and makes it stop functioning. As the nerve stops functioning, so does the muscle it controls.


This is what happens in Bell s palsy, the most common cause of facial paralysis.


Bell s palsy can happen to anyone and its cause is, hold your breath, a viral infection. Herpes zoster, Varicella zoster and HIV viruses can cause Bell s palsy.


Bell's palsy is a common cause of a facial paralysis but there are many others too that affect or damage facial nerve. These include head injury, sarcoidosis, lyme disease, growths in the ear, tumours in the parotid gland, brain tumours and stroke.


The weakness of the face usually one-sided is a symptom of Bell s palsy. The face may droop to one side, chewing food is also tough, drooling, dry eyes and difficulty wrinkling forehead and speech are other symptoms of Bell s palsy, the most common reason for facial paralysis.


Treatment:
The type of therapy you receive for facial paralysis will depend on its cause. It will also develop on how long you ve suffered from facial paralysis and the extent of damage to the facial nerve.


Your physiotherapist can help and so can speech and language therapists to deal with the issue.


In physiotherapy, a treatment called 'facial retraining' with facial exercises helps with facial palsy. It is important that you seek help from a therapist who specialises in facial rehabilitation only.


This is what you can expect from facial rehabilitation therapy-
Exercises for eye care
Exercises for dry mouth management
Exercises to make drinking and eating easier
Speech therapy
Your physiotherapist will educate you on how the facial nerve works and how it recovers. This is important to make you recover. A home therapy programme plays an important role too. It includes massages to keep face muscles mobile and healthy, stretches to lengthen muscles, exercises to help re-learn balanced facial movements and relaxation of your facial nerve and muscles.


The physiotherapist will work on your facial movement to make muscles fit. The basic idea is to slowly rewire the brain-to-nerve-to-muscle pathway. The physiotherapist s first step is to retrain you to do correct movements voluntarily, while mentally focusing on the movement.


Physiotherapy may take months but keep at it to recover completely, especially the home exercises.


Injections of botulinum toxin or Botox also help especially if you suffer from spasms in facial muscles. Surgery is also an option for chronic cases.


Remember that exercises should be done gently as well as daily to reap benefits. Always do these exercises with the help of a therapist only. Doing exercises by yourself can be counter- productive.


Facial Paralysis - How Can Physiotherapy Help You Get Better?

Bell s Palsy is a form of facial paralysis that can leave the features or one side of the face completely frozen. This can also affect the patient s ability to eat and talk on a normal basis. As per medical science reports, this kind of a condition is brought on by the inflammation of the delicate facial nerves when a viral infection from the past comes back and gets reactivated. It can also happen due to sudden and debilitating change of air from hot to extremely cold without any proper acclimatization, as well as other factors like stress, anxiety, trauma and similar factors. 

There are many homoeopathic medicines that can be used for dealing with these conditions. These medicines are preferred as they are natural and do not usually have any side effects. So let us look at a few medicines that can be used in Homeopathy for treating Bell s Palsy.

Aconite: This is one of the most widely prescribed medicines for this condition. It is usually prescribed when the patient is facing symptoms like trauma due to sudden exposure to extremely cold and icy air without any kind of warning or a subtle change in temperature first. Also, those who have been suffering from chronic facial paralysis due to a variety of reasons can be given this medicine for some amount of relief in the long run. If the patient has had a history of complications when it comes to dealing with icy temperatures and cold air, then this medicine can also help.
Ignatia: This medicine is usually prescribed when the facial paralysis is brought on due to stress and grief. Ignatia is also a well-known medicine that is usually prescribed for any kind of grief and trauma besides being known as an effective treatment when it comes to depression, as well. Other symptoms treated by this condition include a constant biting sensation that one may feel in the cheeks as well as problems while swallowing and talking.
Cadmium Sulph: This medicine is used when there is some amount of haemorrhage at play when it comes to Bell s Palsy. When the facial paralysis happens suddenly due to such a condition, then this medicine is usually prescribed for the patient. Also, this medicine is prescribed in order to treat symptoms like a distorted face and problems when it comes swallowing food and water. The patient will also find that he or she cannot close the eye on the affected side of the face.
Bacillinium: This medicine is usually prescribed when the patient has suppressed the facial eruptions, which has then manifested itself as facial paralysis. This can happen when expressions and eruptions are suppressed by the constant use of certain medicated treatments and ointments. 

5 Homeopathic Medicines For Treating Bell's Palsy!

There are various forms of Paralysis. Paralysis of the lower limbs is one of the most severe forms of Paralysis. It is also known as Paraplegia. People suffering from such Paralysis lose all sense below the waist. They cannot move their legs or hips, cannot void without help, and cannot have intercourse. They barely feel anything below their waist. However, the degree of inability may vary from one person to another.

In people suffering from such Paralysis, there is usually substantial impairment in movement. Though such inability is not necessarily permanent, rarely do people recover from such inability. Lower Limb Paralysis may put people at risk of deep Vein Thrombosis.

Causes of Lower Limbs Paralysis:

Paralysis of the lower limbs usually results from injury to the spinal cord or the brain. However, spinal cord injury is the most common cause of such Paralysis. Such injuries inhibit the ability of the brain to receive and send signals from lower limbs. Causes of such inability may include:

Infections in the spinal cord

Lesions of the spinal cord

Tumors in the brain

Infections in the brain  

Nerve damage at the hip or waist.

Oxygen deprivation in the brain or spinal cord due to choking, violence, or surgical accidents.

Stroke

Congenital spinal cord deformities such as Spina Bifida etc.

However, the most common cause of Lower Limb Paralysis is congenital spinal deformity, such as Spina Bifida. The degree of Paralysis depends on the location of the spinal lesion and the extent of spinal cord or nerve damage. Some people with spinal lesions may even walk independently if the lesion is lower down the spine. However, people with upper spinal lesions are usually not able to do that. They may require ortho shoes as well as walking aids in order to ambulate. If these don t work, they may need wheelchairs for mobility. Usually these people learn to ambulate with the aid of ankle foot orthoses.

Treatment of Lower Limbs Paralysis:

There is no treatment for Paralysis. However, in some cases, people suffering from Lower Limb Paralysis are able to regain some of their ability with the help of physical therapy. What physiotherapy does is that it retains the spinal cord and the brain to strengthen nerve connections and muscles so that patients can work around their limitations. If paralysis is due to some underlying cause, removal of the cause can treat the patient.

If an infant is found to be suffering from Spina Bifida, doctors can operate on his spinal cord and bring down the severity of the problem. Such children are less likely than others to use walking devices.

Bowel and Bladder Management:

This is a serious aspect of Lower Limb Paralysis. Patients need to undergo routine bladder and bowel evaluation and device management plans to reduce the risk of organ damage.

Conclusion:

There is hardly any treatment for Lower Limb Paralysis. However, physical therapy may solve some of the problems. If it does not, management of bowel and bladder and watching out for deep Vein Thrombosis should be done on a regular basis.

One can also use alternative methods like Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Massage, and other holistic treatments. However, it is always recommended to consult an orthopedic doctor before opting for any methods.

Paralysis Of Lower Limbs!

The temporary inability to move one s own limbs or speak is known as paralysis. Paralysis is triggered by problems with the body s nervous system and affects the functioning of muscles all over the body. This condition can affect a single limb, the right or left side of the body, or the complete body. A paralytic attack is often caused by a stroke or damage in the nervous system. It can also be caused by exposure to radiation or toxins, autoimmune diseases, tumours and spinal cord trauma. Recovery from a paralytic attack depends on the causes and the extent of the injury that triggered it. With some types of paralysis, partial or even complete, recovery is possible.

Ayurveda is an alternative system of medicine that can be quite effective when it comes to treating paralysis. Ayurveda has negligible side effects and hence can be used to treat adults and children alike. This system of medication does not look only at the physical symptoms but also the mental and spiritual well-being of the patient as well. Some ways to treat paralysis with Ayurveda are as follows:

Vata-pacifying diet: Eat light meals that are easily digestible and pick warm foods over cold food. Avoid barley, rye and millet and include plenty of vegetables like asparagus, beets, okra and carrots in your diet. Also avoid bitter and pungent flavours, but pick food that is sweet, sour or salty to balance the body s vata.
Ayurvedic massage: Warm herbal oils are sued for Ayurvedic massages. These oils and the action of massaging them into the skin have a number of health benefits associated with it, including the treatment of paralytic attacks. Some Ayurvedic massages that could be beneficial to paralysed patients are abhyanga Ayurvedic massages, padabhyanga and pizhichil.
Medication: Along with lifestyle changes, Ayurvedic medication also plays a role in the treatment of paralysis. Some popular Ayurvedic remedies for paralysis are rasnadi quath, medicated castor oil, pippali mula, vatavidhwamsana rasa, chopcheeni churna, ashwagandha churna, brihat vatachintamani rasa, ashwagandha churna and rasaraja. While some of these medicines are to be taken orally, others may need to be administered through the nostrils as part of nasyam Ayurvedic treatments and others via an enema as part of sneha vasti. Drinking 20 40 ml of radish oil twice a day and a mixture of black pepper powder, sunti and honey is also said to be beneficial in treating paralysis. However, one must keep in mind that recovery from paralysis is very slow and hence patience is a must.

Paralysis - How Ayurveda Remedies Helps In Treating It!

Paralysis is characterized by loss of movement, muscle function, and sensation. The patient is unable to function normally in the aftermath of a paralysis attack. The disorder affects people in different ways. It is either partial or complete. It afflicts one or both sides of the body. It arises in one or several areas and can either be short-term (post a stroke) or long-term (due to spinal cord damage). There are different types of paralysis such as Monoplegia, Hemiplegia, Paraplegia, and Quadriplegia. Some symptoms that are associated with paralysis include loss of memory, loss of hearing, clumsiness, drooling, and changes in behavioural patterns.

Why Physiotherapy for Paralysis?

Physiotherapy is recommended for people affected by paralysis for many reasons. Physiotherapy helps relax the muscles and boosts the flow of blood within the body. Patients are advised to use braces, splints, orthosis, and canes by physiotherapists to facilitate movement in their condition. Wheelchairs are also advised so that the patient can move about a little if they have lost sensation in the lower limbs.
In case of brain injuries, the practice can reduce the swelling and promote healing.
Paralytics are also given counselling sessions for boosting their morale. They are encouraged, educated by their practitioners and can go a long way in improving their condition.
Physiotherapy exercises are also useful for restoring lost strength in the afflicted muscles, which, in turn, prevents deformity in the limbs. Physiotherapy exercises can restore sensation and subsequently the movement in the affected area.
The health problems of the patients are also addressed during physiotherapy. Also, the underlying causes of the disorder are treated, and this helps in restoring mobility for the patient.
Physiotherapy treatment helps the patient to adjust to daily life after suffering a stroke. The efforts are directed towards making them independent. As part of the treatment program, the patients are advised about various aspects, including exercises, surgical procedures, medicines and other self-care methods. Physiotherapy produces results over time and is not an immediate solution to the problem.
Paralysis   What type of diet should you go for?

Physiotherapists advise the patients suffering from paralysis to eat a nutritious diet. Intake of B-complex vitamins is very important, such as vitamin-B12 and niacin, the patients can improve the functioning of their nervous system.
Essential fats are also recommended due to their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to restore the health of the nervous system. Some food sources of these nutrients include walnuts, flaxseeds, beans, bananas, pumpkin seed oil, potatoes, and lentils.
It is important to note that physiotherapy practices can help people with paralysis in several ways. Most importantly, the victims receive encouragement and counseling from the physiotherapists who guide them towards a treatment option that can help restore normalcy in their lives.

Paralysis - How Physiotherapy Will Help In Treating It?

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