# Quadriplegia and paraplegia. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadriplegia-and-paraplegia/318701 "2005-08-26T05:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadriplegia-and-paraplegia/318701/1 "2005-08-26T05:48:34Z")
In all the stuff I’m reading about for the movie Murderball, there is a lot of mentions of quadriplegic rugby. Every cite I can find (and the dictionary) says that quadriplegic is “one affected with paralysis of both arms and legs” ([m-w.com](http://m-w.com)) The men in this movie are, in my understanding, paraplegic, or paralyzed in both legs, but with movement in the arms and upper body. One website mentioned that quadriplegia comes most often from spinal cord injuries above a certain vertebrae, and para from below that. Is quadriplegia a matter of degree? I thought that was the whole point of having a distinction between quad and para. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadriplegia-and-paraplegia/318701/2 "2005-08-26T06:00:21Z")
Paraplegia generally means no loss of use of the arms whereas [quadriplegia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriplegia) means anything from partial loss of functioning in the arms (and legs) to total loss. People often think that qaudriplegia means only total loss of arm function, which is incorrect. > [@](#): > > Quadriplegia is caused by damage to the spinal cord at a high level (e.g. cervical spine) or the brain. The injury causes the victim to lose either total or partial use of the arms and legs. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadriplegia-and-paraplegia/318701/3 "2005-08-26T13:51:24Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Is quadriplegia a matter of degree? I thought that was the whole point of having a distinction between quad and para. Actually, I think so, and I’ve also been asking myself this question recently. I seem to remember a handicapped athlete, a few years ago, who seemed like a regular paraplegic to me, but apparently he was actually quadriplegic, could therefore race with other quadriplegics, and since it wasn’t too pronounced, he was often winning. It was a long time ago, so I may have forgotten a few details or important parts. So yes, my wager would be that quadriplegia is a matter of degree, with slight quadriplegia almost undistinguishable from paraplegia by the layman, but I’m not a doctor or anything of the sort. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadriplegia-and-paraplegia/318701/4 "2005-08-26T14:20:25Z")
If I’m not mistaken, John Callahan, the cartoonist, is a quadraplegic. His hands still work, but not as well as before his accident. He started selling cartoons _after_ his accident, IIRC from his autobio. His cartooning style, by the way, isn’t a result of his quadraplegia. He says he’s done some “technical” drawing that is very straighforward illustration-type stuff. His cartoons are skewed and blobby because that’s his chosen style.