Definitions of Disabilities
Amputee:
"Amputation" is defined as the surgical removal of an external body part. Although surgical removal of body parts like ears and breasts can technically be called amputations.
Disease - From half to as many as three-quarters of all amputations occur as a result of circulatory and other disease and most involve circulatory disease in people over 60. Most amputations that are the result of circulatory disease are leg amputations. Circulatory disease causes fewer arm amputations.
Trauma - A quarter to a third of all amputations are the result of accidents and most of those involve people in the 21 to 30 age group. Accidents appear to be the primary cause of arm amputations.
Tumor - About 5 percent of all amputations are the result of cancerous tumors in the bones or the soft tissue of arms and legs. Most of these occur in the age group of 10 to 20 years.
Congenital - "Congenital" conditions are those one is born with. As an example, because some babies are born with partial, dysfunctional limbs a decision may be made to amputate the dysfunctional part so the child will be a better candidate for using an artificial limb. This may account for about three percent of all amputations. Although those with congenital limb absence are technically not amputees (because amputation surgery did not remove the limb) they nevertheless usually refer to themselves as amputees.
Amputations through joints-hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist-are called "disarticulations," as in shoulder disarticulation or knee disarticulation. Amputations in between are technically referred to by the names of the bones they transect, e.g., "transhumeral" for the humerus bone in the upper arm, "transfemoral" for the femur bone in the upper leg, and so on. Commonly, amputees who don't have disarticulations refer to their amputations as above or below-knee and above or below-elbow-or simply AK, BK, AE, and BE.
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Arthrogryposis:
Arthrogryposis (Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita) is a term describing the presence of a muscle disorder that causes multiple joint contractures at birth. A contracture is a limitation in the range of motion of a joint.
In some cases, few joints may be affected and the range of motion may be nearly normal. In the "classic" case of arthrogryposis, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, feet and knees are affected. In the most severe cases, nearly every body joint may be involved, including the jaw and back. Frequently, the contractures are accompanied by muscle weakness, which further limits movement. Arthrogryposis is relatively rare, occurring in approximately one in 3,000 births.
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Cerebral Palsy:
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic conditions affecting body movement and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development; before, during, or shortly after birth; or during infancy. Thus, these disorders are not caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. Instead, faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain disrupt the brain's ability to adequately control movement and posture.
"Cerebral" refers to the brain and "palsy" to muscle weakness/poor control. Cerebral palsy itself is not progressive (i.e. brain damage does not get worse); however, secondary conditions, such as muscle spasticity, can develop which may get better over time, get worse, or remain the same. Cerebral palsy is not communicable. It is not a disease and should not be referred to as such. Although cerebral palsy is not "curable" in the accepted sense, training and therapy can help improve function.
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Osteogenesis Imperfecta:
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause. There are at least four recognized forms of the disorder, representing extreme variation in severity from one individual to another. For example, a person may have just a few or as many as several hundred fractures in a lifetime.
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Paraplegia & Quadriplegia
(Spinal Cord Injury):
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia is permanent paralysis of the body caused by injury or disease affecting the spinal cord.
Paraplegia involves a loss of sensation and movement in the legs and in part or all of the trunk. This varies according to the level of the injury. Generally, the lower the injury, the less the loss of movement and sensation. Paraplegia usually results from an injury to the spinal cord in the mid and lower back.
Quadriplegia normally means a loss of sensation and movement in all four limbs and the trunk. This generally results from a spinal cord injury to the neck. However, the loss of sensation and movement may not be complete with some sensation and movement being retained in parts of the arms and legs.
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Spina Bifida:
Spina Bifida means cleft spine, which is an incomplete closure in the spinal column. In general, the three types of spina bifida (from mild to severe) are:
1. Spina Bifida Occulta: There is an opening in one or more of the vertebrae (bones) of the spinal column without apparent damage to the spinal cord.
2. Meningocele: The meninges, or protective covering around the spinal cord, has pushed out through the opening in the vertebrae in a sac called the "meningocele." However, the spinal cord remains intact. This form can be repaired with little or no damage to the nerve pathways.
3. Myelomeningocele: This is the most severe form of spina bifida, in which a portion of the spinal cord itself protrudes through the back. In some cases, sacs are covered with skin; in others, tissue and nerves are exposed. Generally, people use the terms "spina bifida" and "myelomeningocele" interchangeably.For more info CLICK HERE
Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a hereditary degenerative disease of skeletal (voluntary) muscles, is considered the most prevalent form of childhood muscular dystrophy. The disorder typically is recognized from approximately age three to six years and has a relatively rapid, progressive disease course. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is initially characterized by muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy) within the pelvic area that may be followed by involvement of the shoulder muscles. With disease progression, muscle weakness and atrophy affect the trunk and forearms and gradually progress to involve most major muscles of the body.
Thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR) syndrome
Polio
Polio is caused by a virus which results in an acute infection. However, contrary to what is commonly believed, the virus did not typically result in paralysis. Rather, the majority of infected individuals experienced only mild respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, often accompanied by fever, headache, and muscle stiffness. These symptoms lasted only a few days, and many had such mild cases that they did not even realize they were ill. Therefore, they often continued on with there daily routines, attending school or work, and exposing many others to the polio virus. This fact helps explain the reports of many polio survivors that they were the only ones in their family, neighborhood, or community to have had polio. In actuality, there could have been many individuals with whom they came into contact who had the minor illness, as non-paralytic polio was often called.
Dwarfism
Dwarfism refers to a condition of extreme small size of a person, animal, or plant. Any type of marked human smallness could be termed dwarfism in older popular and medical usage. Currently, in both general and technical usage, the term as related to human beings (the major subject of this article) is restricted to those forms of extreme shortness characterized by disproportion of body parts, typically due to an inheritable disorder in bone or cartilage development.
In contrast, those forms of shortness characterized by proportional body parts usually have a hormonal or nutritional cause. An example is growth hormone deficiency, which was once called "Pituitary dwarfism". According to current usage, proportional shortness, even when severe, is no longer referred to as "dwarfism".
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