Paralysis

Paralysis
SpecialtyNeurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry

Paralysis (pl.: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed with some form of permanent or transient paralysis.[1] The word "paralysis" derives from the Greek παράλυσις, meaning "disabling of the nerves"[2] from παρά (para) meaning "beside, by"[3] and λύσις (lysis) meaning "making loose".[4] A paralysis accompanied by involuntary tremors is usually called "palsy".[5][6]

  1. ^ "Paralysis Facts & Figures - Spinal Cord Injury - Paralysis Research Center". Christopherreeve.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  2. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "παράλυσις". A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. on Perseus
  3. ^ Liddell & Scott 1940, παρά
  4. ^ Liddell & Scott 1940, λύσις
  5. ^ "Palsy". Lexico. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Palsy". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 27 May 2015.