Injuries that occur between C1-C8 of the cervical spine can result in tetraplegia (commonly referred to as quadriplegia), or an injury that affects all of a person’s limbs to a certain extent. For example, a C3 or C6 spinal cord injury can result in a loss of function of both legs and arms, depending on the severity of the spinal cord damage.

Paraplegia, however, is the result of an injury in the thoracic or lumbar regions of the spine (T1-L5). With this injury, the legs and sometimes part of the torso are affected, meaning that the patient is still able to use the full function of his or her hands.