quadriplegia

American  

[kwod-ruh-plee-jee-uh, -juh] / ˌkwɒd rəˈpli dʒi ə, -dʒə /

noun

Pathology.

1. paralysis of all four limbs or of the entire body below the neck.

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quadriplegia British  

/ -dʒə, ˌkwɒdrɪˈpliːdʒɪə /

noun

1. Also called: tetraplegia.  pathol paralysis of all four limbs, usually as the result of injury to the spine Compare hemiplegia paraplegia

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quadriplegia Scientific  

/ kwŏd′rə-plē′jē-ə /

1. Paralysis of the body from the neck down, caused by injury to the spinal cord.

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Etymology

Origin of quadriplegia

First recorded in 1920–25; quadri- + -plegia

Explanation

When someone's arms and legs are paralyzed permanently, they have a condition called quadriplegia. Usually caused by trauma to the neck or head, quadriplegia can also affect a person's ability to breathe. While there's no cure for quadriplegia, there are many devices and treatments that can help a person who's paralyzed from the neck down to be more mobile and comfortable. Special wheelchairs can be operated with the mouth, and physical therapy is often used to make people more flexible and help their blood circulate. Quadriplegia comes from the Latin quadri-, "four," and the greek plege, "stroke."

Example Sentences

During one session, the parents of a daughter with schizencephaly quadriplegia, a rare birth defect, witnessed her successfully feed herself using the system.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

Her death, in a hospital, was caused by complications of quadriplegia, her mother, Jean Ellison, said.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

The company last week also won approval from an ethics committee for human trials to evaluate the device, a brain-computer interface system, for patients with quadriplegia.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 27, 2023

A November 23, 2021 Washington Post story told how Stretch helped Henry Evans, who suffered a massive stroke that left him mute and with quadriplegia.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2022

To those who are genuinely concerned, I push a button to say, “I have spastic bilateral quadriplegia, also known as cerebral palsy. It limits my body, but not my mind.”

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper