Okay, this is a bit ironic, considering I'm a quadriplegic,but I had a few specific questions relating to to how one one might become paraplegic. (I would've gone with quadriplegic, the whole write what you know thing however I feel this will help plot move more smoothly.
Basically, I want to make the cause of paraplegia several gun shots and finally being hit and pushed several feet off a short bridge. Possible overkill, but should work for the story.
1) What is the lowest damage to the spinal cord that would cause paraplegia?
2) In relation to question one looking for locations that could go through the front of the body without causing long-term organ damage.
3) Also, what are some of long-term effects of a shattered hip, collarbone, or shoulder?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated.
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Nov 4, 2007 - 15 21
Anyone?
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Nov 4, 2007 - 18 07
I recall reading, I think on Wikipedia, that the most common cause of paraplegia is car accidents. :::shrug:::
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Nov 5, 2007 - 08 20
Hihi, I think I've got your answers..
1) The lowest damage to the spinal cord that would cause paraplegia.
Right, this depends on the level of paraplegia you're talking about. If there's damage at the tail bone portion of the spinal cord, the effects on the leg muscles will be minimal, but the individual would lose control over other lower functions (bowels and bladder). Damage to the lower lumbar region (waist-ish) would cause muscle damage, but would probably still allow for walking. The higher the damage in the spinal cord, the higher the number of paralyzed leg (and eventually waist) muscles. For a complete loss of the use of your legs, the damage would have to be at least as high as the T12 or L1 vertebrae - so this would be high waist/low chest area - and the damage would have to be thorough (ie., destruction of all spinal cord contents). Damage any lower to the spinal cord would be impairing, but would not result in complete paraplegia.
2) Point of entry to cause paraplegia.
If you were shot straight through the middle of the abdomen, it would cause paraplegia, but it would also likely cause death because it would also probably hit the aorta. So a shot slightly from the side would still cause bleeding, but would be less likely to kill someone.
As a side note (I don't know if this is helpful), but falling from a bridge and landing right on your bum could potentially cause some level of paraplegia also (if you fell hard enough), because it could cause a fracture in a lumbar vertebra.
3) Long term effects:
A shattered hip will almost 100% of the time result in early arthritis. It will also affect weight-bearing ability and will also probably lead to an early hip replacement.
A shattered collar bone, once healed properly, would likely not interfere with a person's daily life (unless they're a baseball player or something)
Depending on the severity, a shattered shoulder could become totally useless. The arm would still be okay, and as long as the person's still got another good shoulder, they can get by just fine unless you ask them to paint a ceiling.
I can't take credit for ALL this information on my own - my dad's a physiotherapist :)
Hope this helps. Happy writing!