Central paralysis is one of the most dangerous diseases affecting the human nervous system. When it appears, the quality of life is significantly reduced, and in order to return to the previous rhythm, it is necessary to take all possible measures as soon as possible. Such an ailment can be cured only by using an integrated approach, which includes taking medications, physiotherapy, homeopathy, surgery, and more.
Disease Description
Central paralysis is a violation of the activity of certain parts of the brain, as a result of which there is a disorder in the functioning of muscles and tendons. This disease suggests that a person has a break in the neural connection, which makes it difficult to transfer information from the brain to the ends in the body.
In the initial stages of the disease, it is very important to be able to distinguish between central and peripheral paralysis :
- In the first case, there is a malfunction in the pyramidal system, an interesting feature is the fact that a violation in the functioning of the muscles of a person very often occurs on the opposite side from the place where the problem areas of the nerves are located.
- In the second case, there is a malfunction in the work of completely different parts of the brain, and the detected symptoms will be completely opposite to central paralysis, for example, instead of increasing muscle tone, a decrease is observed.
Central and peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve differ in the same way. An experienced specialist can easily distinguish two types of this ailment from each other.
The main causes of the disease
For a more effective treatment of paralysis of the central nervous system, it is necessary to correctly determine the cause of the failure of the motor centers of the brain. There are a huge variety of factors that can provoke the appearance of a disease. Here are some of them:
- heredity and predisposition of the body;
- congenital and acquired pathologies;
- the presence of infectious diseases affecting the nervous system and developing in the spinal cord or brain. These include syphilis, tuberculosis, meningitis, and others;
- the use of a large amount of harmful and fatty foods, non-compliance with the diet;
- metabolic disease;
- poisoning with various toxic substances, including alcohol;
- the formation of malignant tumors that affect the functioning of the brain and nervous system of a person;
- the destruction of neural connections can occur when problems arise in the functioning of the circulatory system, such as bleeding, blood clot formation, or vascular stenosis;
- in most cases, central paralysis is a complication after a stroke.
The reasons why this disease can develop are very diverse. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your health and, at the slightest suspicion, seek help from a specialist. Recently, central paralysis has become much younger. Previously, older people suffered from it to a greater extent, but now similar violations can occur at a younger age.
It is worth noting that in people burdened with a hereditary factor, central paralysis can develop in the first years of life. For example, in the presence of birth injury or under the influence of internal factors.
Main symptoms
Recognizing the occurrence of central paralysis syndrome is very simple. After all, most of the signs of this disease are visible to the naked eye. We list them:
- weakening of the muscles of the face;
- the mouth becomes ajar;
- involuntary opening and closing of the eyes;
- there is a violation of speech functions;
- gait is distorted;
- muscle hypertonicity makes them more dense and static, which makes movement difficult and extremities take an unnatural position;
- due to stretching of the tendons, convulsive, rhythmic contractions of the muscles of the knees or feet can be noticed;
- as a protective reaction to mechanical irritation, a noticeable tremor of the extremities appears;
- mobility anomalies appear, it becomes weakened or, conversely, enhanced;
- unnatural and random movements of the shoulders, flexion and extension of the joints of the arms or legs;
- weakening or complete disappearance of the abdominal reflexes also occurs.
With central paralysis of the facial nerve, most of the symptoms described above are localized on the person's face. Usually, the disease is expressed in unnatural facial expressions and involuntary muscle contractions.
This ailment is very dangerous in that it can lead to impaired brain activity, and the number of cells that are not amenable to recovery is growing every day. Therefore, the earlier therapy was started, the more likely it is to get a positive result.
Diagnosis of the disease
Signs of central paralysis can be detected during a visual examination. But for an accurate diagnosis, specialists resort to the following methods:
- Computed and magnetic resonance imaging, with which you can see neural connections.
- X-ray of joints and bones of limbs, spine and skull.
- Electromyography.
- Analysis for histology of painful muscles.
- Puncture of spinal fluid.
A neurologist is involved in the treatment of central paralysis. It is he who should be consulted when the first symptoms of the disease are detected.
Differential diagnosis
During the differential diagnosis, the specialist determines the volume and severity of symptoms of central paralysis. At this stage, all information about the disease is collected and its analysis is carried out in order to prescribe effective and safe therapy. Using external signs, you can find out the root of the problem and determine in which area the damage occurred:
- If all limbs are immobilized, then this indicates that there has been damage to the spinal cord in the neck.
- If the right or left side of the body is disturbed, it can be concluded that the internal capsule is damaged.
- Leg paralysis indicates spinal cord injury primarily in the chest or lower back.
- Violation of one limb indicates the presence of peripheral paralysis.
- A malfunction in the eye muscles indicates a pathology of the cranial nerves.
- Facial paralysis is characterized by unnatural facial expressions.
- When observing the lethargy of the tongue, the root of the problem will be a violation of the hyoid nerve.
Another task facing the specialist will be to find out the cause of central paralysis. It is also very important to determine if any other neurological changes have occurred. And if available, you need to start complex therapy. The duration of the course is determined by the doctor.
Drug treatment
People suffering from central nervous paralysis are prescribed complex therapy. In the course of it, the main disease that caused the disruption of the muscles, and directly the paralysis itself are treated. Conservative treatment methods will give the desired results only if the morphological substrate with which the affected muscles are regenerated has survived.
Most often, patients with a similar ailment are prescribed the following drugs:
- "Baclofen" - this drug has a strong effect on the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. It also helps to cope with depression and improve well-being.
- “Diazepam" - the drug affects the activation of processes in the brain stem, helps to cope with seizures, has a sedative and central muscle relaxant effect. Side effects include drowsiness, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, allergies, etc.
- "Dantrolene" - with the help of this medication they lower muscle tone. Use with caution to people suffering from lung or heart disease.
- Anticholinesterase drugs. Their effectiveness lies in the fact that they quickly enter the nervous system and improve the quality of signal transmission to the muscles, thereby weakening the main signs of the disease.
The dosage is selected individually for each person, taking into account all the structural features of the body.
Physiotherapy
The purpose of physiotherapy is to return the muscles to their previous state and prevent their deformation. The introduction of these methods into the main therapy does not occur immediately. More specific terms are set by the attending physician, taking into account all the features of the course of the disease. The specific procedure is selected depending on the cause of central paralysis and the degree of damage to the body.
Most often, the following methods are used in such practice:
- Electrophoresis
- UHF and microwave treatment.
- Electrical stimulation of immobilized limbs is carried out in conjunction with acupuncture.
- Treatment with warm paraffin.
Physical rehabilitation of the patient begins with a restorative massage. Then he is gradually re-taught to use his body, that is, to perform conscious actions. As soon as a person can sit independently, they begin to teach him to walk. The last step will be to assist in the development of fine motor skills and various complex actions, such as buttoning buttons, zippers, etc.
Surgery for central paralysis
Surgery is usually used for flaccid paralysis or cerebral palsy, when conservative therapy has not yielded results and neurogenic deformation has occurred, that is, the muscles of the limbs were partially damaged and could not be restored. In cerebral palsy, the purpose of this intervention is to correct the functioning of limbs that distort statics.
In practice, there are three types of such operations:
- normalization of tendons and muscles;
- ligamentous surgery;
- restoration of the functions of bones and joints.
It is worth noting that the key to a successful surgical intervention will be a correctly selected set of other therapeutic measures that allow recovery from surgery.
Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies very well contribute to recovery after central paralysis, but do not replace them with traditional medicine. The combined use of these drugs gives more chances to restore muscle activity and neural connections. We offer a small list:
- “Konium” - helps get rid of cramps and tremors, side effects will be weakness, chills and insomnia.
- "Fibiaron" - this drug is more actively used for prevention, but it can also help recover after paralysis, harmonizing the central nervous system.
- "Botrops" - such a homeopathic remedy is a good assistant in the restoration of speech.
- "Caustic" - the drug helps to recover after lead intoxication.
Baths with central paralysis
Another auxiliary tool for recovery will be taking baths with various herbal decoctions:
- Two or three tablespoons of finely chopped rosehip roots are poured with a liter of boiling water and boiled for half an hour. The resulting broth is added to the bath. It should be noted that the water temperature should be equal to 37-39 degrees.
- Also, to fill the bath, you can use a juniper decoction, which is prepared according to the same recipe as the previous one.
For best efficiency, after every 10 receptions, it is recommended to change the composition of the decoction poured into the bathroom.
Recipes of traditional medicine for oral administration
- Recovering from central paralysis will help daily consumption of celery juice, nettle, plantain or feijoa.
- 20-30 grams of peony roots are poured with a liter of hot water and insisted for 1 hour, after which they are carefully filtered. Take this remedy one tablespoon three times a day.
- 10-15 pine cones are poured with half a liter of vodka for 30 days. After readiness, tincture is taken 30-50 drops 3 times a day before meals.
Central paralysis is a disease that severely damages the human nervous system. In order to achieve a positive result in the treatment of the disease, you need to use complex therapy and apply all kinds of methods (home procedures, folk recipes).