tetraplegia vs paraplegia
/ TET-ruh-PLEE-jee-uh; PAR-uh-PLEE-jee-uh /
Where along the spine the cord is hurt decides which limbs are affected, and there is a simple two-word vocabulary for the big picture. If the injury is high enough to involve the arms as well as the legs and trunk, it is called tetraplegia (also written quadriplegia). If the arms are fully spared and only the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs are affected, it is called paraplegia. Knowing which one you are dealing with instantly frames what life and rehabilitation will look like.
The dividing landmark is the neck region of the cord. Tetraplegia results from injury in the cervical segments (C1–C8, the neck) — because the nerves that run the arms and hands come from there, both arms and legs lose function, along with the trunk. Paraplegia results from injury in the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral segments (T1 and below) — the arm nerves leave the cord above the damage, so hands and arms work normally while the legs, trunk, and bladder/bowel are affected. Note these words describe the level pattern, not the severity: a person with tetraplegia can be complete or incomplete, just as a person with paraplegia can be.
This distinction drives everything practical. People with paraplegia keep full use of their hands, so they can usually become independent in self-care, transfers, and manual wheelchair use, and may drive with hand controls. People with tetraplegia lose some or all hand and arm function, so independence depends heavily on exactly which arm muscles survive, and the very highest injuries can affect breathing. Rehabilitation goals, equipment, the home setup, and the amount of personal assistance needed all flow from this first branching question.
A T6 injury and a C6 injury both leave the legs paralysed, but their daily lives differ enormously. The T6 paraplegia keeps full hand function, so the person dresses, transfers, and propels a manual wheelchair independently. The C6 tetraplegia leaves limited hand grip, so adapted equipment and some assistance are needed for the same tasks.
Cervical injury (tetraplegia) involves the arms; injury at T1 or below (paraplegia) spares them.
'Tetraplegia' (preferred) and 'quadriplegia' mean the same thing — the first mixes Greek and Latin roots, the second is older. Neither term tells you the severity: always pair the pattern (tetra/para) with the AIS grade to know how complete the injury is.