The actual symptoms that accompany a hemiplegia diagnosis may vary greatly from one hemiplegic to the next. This is mainly because of the complications that different causes of hemiplegia may have.
For some, the symptoms of hemiplegia may prove to be temporary (or at least improve with time). For others, they may live with all of their symptoms for the rest of their lives. Symptoms may be comparatively moderate, with the hemiplegic having some minor control over the side of their body that was weakened. Others may be completely paralyzed with no sensation or control on the affected side of their body.
Some potential symptoms of hemiplegia that someone may experience include:
Muscular Issues
Hemiplegia (or the factors causing it) can lead to a variety of other muscular issues. Two common muscular issues related to hemiplegia are muscular atrophy and increased muscular tone called spasticity.
Muscle Atrophy
People with hemiplegia frequently experience muscle atrophy on the paralyzed side of their bodies. This is a normal side effect of not being able to move muscles for a prolonged period of time. Some of them use physical therapy and exercise to reduce atrophy in their paralyzed side—forcefully moving their nonfunctional limbs to help maintain muscle mass.
Spasticity and Muscular Spasms
Irregular signals from the brain may cause spasticity (spastic hypertonia) in a hemiplegic’s paralyzed muscles. This may show up as sudden involuntary movement, hyperactive reflexes (spasms from things that normally trigger a reflexive response), and involuntary muscle tightness.
Patients with hemiplegia may engage in physical therapy or take specialized medications to help them control their muscle spasticity.
Partial Loss of Sensation
The inability of the brain to communicate with the nerves in the paralyzed part of the body can result in a loss of sensation. The more “complete” the hemiplegia is, the less sensation there typically tends to be. However, some people diagnosed with hemiplegia may experience pain in their paralyzed side in addition to a general sensation of numbness.
Pusher Syndrome
In the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, pusher syndrome is defined as: “leaning and active pushing toward the hemiplegic side with no compensation for the instability, and resistance to passive correction toward the midline.”
Part of this may be because of an altered sense of balance post-paralysis—the hemiplegic may believe that a slight tilt towards their paralyzed side is “straight.” This imbalance may make the hemiplegic more prone to falling over, and cause sores to form because of the added pressure leaning to the side can cause.
Seizures
Several conditions that can cause hemiplegia may also result in seizures and strokes that impact the hemiplegic’s health. Seizures, or abnormal electrochemical activity in the brain, can cause full-body muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, and changes in mood or cognition.
Seizures are often related to traumatic brain injuries and strokes, which are common among patients with hemiplegia.
Difficulty Speaking
For some TBI survivors with hemiplegia, the damage that made them lose strength or control of one side of their body may also impact their ability to speak. This is especially common with damage to the parietal lobe, which influences language processing. This is called aphasia.
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