What is the Difference Between Paraplegia and Quadraplegia?
Paraplegia and quadriplegia are both serious conditions which involve partial paralysis of the body. In the case of paraplegia, the patient is paralyzed from the waist down, while a quadriplegic has paralysis which affects the body from the neck down. The paralysis is caused by an injury to the spinal cord, and it may be partial or total, depending on the nature of the injury and how it was treated. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt is a well-known example of a paraplegic; scientist Steven Hawking is a quadriplegic.