Paralysis occurs when the nerves that run through the spinal cord are damaged. When these nerves are damaged, they cannot receive messages from or send messages to the brain about sensory information or muscle movement. This condition has many causes, but the most common cause of paralysis is spinal cord injury, which can happen as the result of trauma, infection, or certain diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. Car accidents, knife stabs, and gun shots can cause spinal cord trauma. A non-traumatic event, such as cancer, arthritis, disk degeneration, or other diseases can also damage the nerve cells in the spinal cord. All parts of the body below the site of injury are usually affected.
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