Paralysis

Paralysis, also known as plegia, is the loss of the ability to make voluntary muscle movements, either of the whole body or a certain part. It is accompanied by a sensory loss if the damage is significant. Paralysis can happen due to a lot of factors; however, damage to the nervous system is the most common reason. Due to these factors, paralysis can be temporary or permanent. In some cases, physiotherapy can work like a wonder, helping the muscles regain strength.

Paralysis can occur due to a number of reasons. It might be a congenital disability or a result due to an accident. Stroke is considered one of the prime reasons for paralysis. Some of the prime causes are as follows:-

• Stroke
• Brain tumour
• Spinal cord injury
• Spinal tumour
• Cerebral palsy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Post-polio syndrome
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Neurofibromatosis

Paralysis is a condition that can occur to a person of any age group and it is mostly sudden. Depending on the type of paralysis, the paralysis symptoms might vary. However, the most common signals could be an injury or cancerous growth in the brain or spinal cord. You should watch out for the following symptoms:

• Cramps in the muscles
• Severe pain in the muscles after a light workout session
• Feeling weak constantly
• Tingling in body parts
• Longer attacks of muscle weakness

Before paralysis occurs, you can even experience some of these symptoms:

• Facing difficulty in reading, writing, thinking, talking or remembering anything
• Confusion or loss of consciousness
• Drooling
• Numbness in the hands or feet
• Fever
• Extreme headaches
• Loss of vision or blurry appearance
• Loss of hearing
• Neck pain
• Nausea followed or not followed by vomiting

In case of facial paralysis, you can experience certain symptoms like

• Difficulty in moving facial muscles or facial drop
• Drooling
• Severe headache
• Feeling of pain around the ear and jaw on the affected side
• Loss of taste
• Increased sensitivity to sound

If you experience any of the mentioned symptoms on a regular basis, it is best suggested to contact a doctor at the earliest

Different types of paralysis affect different areas of your body. Here is how it is classified:

• Monoplegia- In this condition, the patient loses control of one of his/her legs or hands
• Diplegia- In this condition, the patient loses control of both legs or hands
• Quadriplegia- In this condition, the patient loses control of all the four limbs
• Hemiplegia- In this condition, the patient loses control over one side of the body
• Paraplegia- In this condition, the patient loses control of both the legs and sometimes torso
• Locked-in Syndrome- In this condition, the patient loses all the control on all the voluntary muscles except for the eyelids.

Certain preventive methods can be followed to prevent paralysis to the best possible limits. They are as follows:

1. Maintain a well-balanced diet.
2. Quite smoking and drinking.
3. Engage yourself in 30 minutes of active exercise to improve your heart health, cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight.
4. Overweight individuals might focus on weight management techniques and therapies.
5. Individuals might opt for an annual heart check-up to diagnose early signs of paralysis.
6. Individuals might take proper medical care of additional complications.

If paralysis runs in the genes, it may be hard to be controlled; however, a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk.

At present the rate of stroke and paralysis is increasing by 50% every year among the age group of 30-50. One of the prime reasons for the rise in the rate of paralysis is atrial fibrillation. It is a heart condition in which the heart works in rapid and irregular order. Alcohol consumption and obesity are two of the prime reasons that lead to the condition. Let us take a look at the benefits of health insurance for Paralysis:

1. Serious Condition Paralysis is a serious condition that disables you from voluntarily moving your muscles, and the condition is growing at a rapid rate. Being covered by a health insurance policy will ensure that you will get quality treatment with a better chance to survive and recover without worrying about finances.
2. Minimal Waiting Most health plans covering paralysis have a minimal waiting period, which makes the policy effective.
3. Tax Benefits Opting for a health insurance plan for paralysis can help you in availing of tax benefits under section 80D of Income Tax.
4. Easy Claim Settlement Most health insurance plans for paralysis are fixed benefits plans that pay the benefit in a lump sum in a single payout, making the claim procedure hassle-free and time-efficient.

Signing up for a critical health cover that includes paralysis will help you cover the treatment costs if you get diagnosed with the illness. Though most of the inclusions are the same under different health policies for paralysis, some of the inclusions may differ. The inclusions are-

• Emergency ambulance service
• Day-care treatments
• Cashless hospitalisation
• Pre and post-hospitalisation cover
• Wellness support
• Health coach.

Every health policy contains certain exclusions that are not covered, and most of them are common to most Health Insurance Policies. Given below is a list of the most common exclusions under the paralysis policy. Read the fine print of the policy to find out the following:

1. Pre-existing diseases are covered only when the waiting period is over
2. Health insurance plans do not cover self-inflicted injuries
3. Insurance policies do not cover hospitalization caused due to war
4. Health conditions resulting due alcohol consumption won’t be covered
5. Coverage for cosmetic surgeries is not offered, except for burns or acid attacks.