Paresis of limbs is called weakness of some muscle groups, which is caused by a violation of their connection with the nervous system. This condition is a consequence of disorders in the brain. In addition, the fault may be a disruption of the functioning of the peripheral nerves, when they lose the ability to transmit the impulses of the brain sent to the muscles.
Paresis of limbs are organic or functional. In the first case, the cause of paresis is the influence of the organic factor, in which the nerve impulse does not enter the muscle. In the second, disorders of inhibition, excitation, maneuverability and equilibrium processes occurring in the cerebral cortex are noted.
The paresis can be manifested in the form of an increase in the muscle tone or reflex. Also a sign of pathology may be the appearance of pathological reflexes and other movements.
Causes of paresis of the lower extremities
It should be understood that paresis is not an independent pathology, but is associated with some other disease. It can be:
- hemorrhage;
- tumor;
- stroke;
- migraine;
- multiple sclerosis;
- injury;
- brain damage.
Classification of parishes
Depending on , the localization of the paresis on the body of is divided into the following types of lesions:
- Monoparesis - pathology affects one arm or leg.
- Hemiparesis - one half of the body suffers.
- Paraparesis - in this situation the hands, legs and other parts of the body are affected, symmetrical to each other. When the hands are injured, the paresis is called the upper, with the defeat of the legs - the lower one.
- Tetraparesis - in this case all limbs suffer.
Depending on lesion localization is allocated:
- Sluggish paresis . In this situation, there is a lack of protective reflexes, pathological signs and synkinesia. Disorders in the functioning of the nerve cause the atrophy of that group of muscles, the work of which it provides. Polyneuritis can cause symmetrical paresis of the feet or legs. Violations of the plexus cause unilateral paresis, which are usually located in the muscles of the pelvic girdle. They can also be located in the upper or lower legs.
- Spastic paresis . In this situation, there is a selective increase in the tone of the plantar flexor of the fingers and toe, in the extensors of the knee and hip joint leading the hamstrings. In the case of repeated movements, the spring resistance may disappear, which leads to the overcoming of the spastic posture.
Paresis of limbs in children
In children, this disease can be difficult to detect. Usually paresis in a child is the result of birth trauma, however sometimes doctors make such a diagnosis, but in reality the disease is absent or has less pronounced symptoms. When the child becomes older, the diagnosis can remove or accurately determine the stage of the disease.
In young children, who already know how to walk, it is difficult to reveal pathology. Very often, the symptom of the disease is movement on the socks - it is this sign that indicates the wrong muscle tone. However, this phenomenon can have a connection with other pathologies. Therefore, in such situations, most often prescribed therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy procedures, massage.
Treatment of
Paresis is not considered an independent disease - rather, it can be called a reflection of other pathologies. Therefore, treatment should take into account the cause of this condition and be directed against the underlying disease. Thus, with traumatic lesion of the peripheral nerve, its stitching is carried out, stroke therapy is followed by restorative therapy, and in the presence of a tumor compressing the nervous structures, surgical intervention is performed.
In addition to etiotropic treatment, symptomatic therapy is also necessary, since muscle tissue can be atrophied without the necessary movement. Most often, for the treatment of paresis of the lower extremities, special gymnastics and massage are used.
Gym
Therapeutic gymnastics are prescribed even in the case of deep paresis. It allows you to maintain the vestibular apparatus, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system - muscles, ligaments, bones, joints. Thanks to special exercises, you can reduce pain, normalize blood pressure, cope with dizziness and nausea.
Special gymnastics in this pathology is the implementation of passive movements. It is very important to use two limbs at the same time, regardless of whether one or two legs are affected.
Massage
Massage in the paresis of the lower extremities can improve blood circulation, as well as relax muscle spasms. In addition, this procedure can prevent degenerative changes in muscle tissues.
It is very important that the massage is performed simultaneously on two legs, so the procedure should be performed by two masseurs. First, massage two feet, then two femurs, etc. Thanks to this, it is possible to substantially reduce spasticy and synkinesia.
The patient also needs to be taught to relax the spastic musculature himself. With an increase in the tone in the muscles of the legs, which is associated with a change in the position of the body, the patient should bend in the lower back. You can also make circular movements with your body.
To reduce the tone of the muscles of the distal parts, it is necessary to perform the so-called rolling of the foot along a rotating roller. To reduce spasticity in the large muscles perform a swing motion, and their amplitude is gradually increasing.
It should be borne in mind that with this disease you can not be limited only to gymnastics and massage. To maintain the state of your body as a whole, you should consume vitamins and minerals.
As you can see, the paresis of the lower limbs can be called quite a serious disease, which can seriously worsen the quality of human life and lead to dangerous complications. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to turn to a competent specialist at an early stage of the disease development: he will not only diagnose correctly, but also find out the cause of paresis development, which is very important for choosing the tactics of treatment.
We recommend to watch a video that is devoted to the rehabilitation of paresis of the lower limbs: