Paralysis: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms, Management Types What is paralysis? Paralysis occurs when you’re unable to make voluntary muscle movements A nervous system problem causes paralysis Nerves send signals to your muscles Those signals make your muscles move When you’re paralyzed, or have paralysis, you can’t move certain parts of your body
Paralysis - Wikipedia Paralysis can occur in localized or generalized forms, or it may follow a certain pattern Most paralyses caused by nervous-system damage (e g , spinal cord injuries) are constant in nature; however, some forms of periodic paralysis, including sleep paralysis, are caused by other factors
Movement after paralysis - National Institutes of Health (NIH) Damage to the spinal cord can lead to paralysis in some or most of the body More than a quarter-million people in the U S live with a spinal cord injury And many rare diseases and disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also cause different degrees of paralysis