What is creeping paralysis?

what is the medical term creeping paraylsis

What is creeping paralysis?
Is this the same as used to be called ------'s-(something I can't recall. name of somebody I think) ascending paralysis which is now called Gullian Barre Syndrome?
Reply:It sounds similar to Ascending paralysis which is caused from peripheral neuropathy.. it begins with a heaviness of the extremeties which ascends into the abdomen. If the paralysis continues it can interfere with the muscles responsible for breathing and asphyxiation can occur. Just ask Socrates who consumed the Poison Hemlock, of which Coniine was the fatal chemical responsible for these symptoms.
Reply:The term "spinal stenosis" is heard quite frequently today because of the concentration of elderly in our populace. "Spinal stenosis" is primarily an aging process. Many years ago it was called creeping paralysis. It was accepted that if one got old enough, one could acquire it and have to "live and bear it".





The two words are separated primarily for clarification; "spinal" giving the location and "stenosis" meaning the condition. Stenosis is derived from the Greek word meaning "narrowing of a normally larger opening". The term stenosis is widely used in medicine to describe a narrowing of various parts of the body.





The primary area discussed here is stenosis of the spine, which can occur in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar region. We will address the lumbar area in this article because of the greater percentile that we see. Factors that predispose a person to acquiring spinal stenosis can start in the womb as a result of genetics or congenital problems acquired from the mother. In addition, there are many perfectly normal backs after childhood development that are mechanically ruined due to self-destructive modes, but not all self-controlled.





Eventually the narrowing of spaces in the spine (backbone) results in pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. When the neuroforamina are reduced in size due to surrounding debris, the nerves react to the pressure by swelling. As the window closes on the nerve the associated pain may become excruciating and debilitating.