Sean O’Rourke | September 30, 2025 | Personal Injury
Suffering a spinal cord or brain injury can have a multitude of severe consequences, one of which is the development of hemiplegia, which can lower your quality of life and prevent you from doing the things you love.
Below is more information about the causes and treatment of this catastrophic injury, as well as the legal options you may have if it occurred as a result of another party’s misconduct.
Understanding Hemiplegia
Hemiplegia is a form of paralysis that only impacts one side of the body, using the spinal cord as the divider. It’s not a condition itself but rather a symptom of a spinal or brain injury. It can cause muscles to become completely limp in the affected area or, conversely, contract uncontrollably.
With hemiplegia, you can experience any of the following symptoms:
- Poor fine motor skills
- Lack of balance
- Trouble grabbing objects
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle weakness or stiffness on one side of the body
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
The severity of the paralysis is not always the same throughout the body, which means you could retain some movement in certain areas. Additionally, hemiplegia is not a progressive condition, meaning it typically does not get worse as time passes.
Causes of Hemiplegia
There are numerous reasons why you may suffer from hemiplegia.
If you have a stroke, some of the brain’s motor control areas can be affected, interrupting the signals the brain would normally send to the spine and throughout the rest of the body. Infections and tumors can also impact the cerebral cortex, resulting in one-sided paralysis.
The most common causes, however, are traumatic accidents. Car crashes and slip and fall accidents can result in significant trauma to the spinal cord or brain, severing vital nerve connections.
Treating Hemiplegia
If your hemiplegia is the result of a brain or spinal cord injury, the condition is likely permanent. Although it won’t go away, it doesn’t mean that it might not improve; physical therapy is an important treatment option that may help you regain some function, while occupational therapy can teach you how to perform daily tasks with hemiplegia.
It’s also possible to treat symptoms that can appear together with hemiplegia, such as muscle spasticity. And if you’ve developed depression or anxiety as a result of your injury, they can also be treated to help you have a better quality of life.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
If you’ve sustained an injury as severe as hemiplegia because of another party’s conduct, beginning a personal injury claim can help you recover losses. These are complex legal actions to take that require proving that negligence or wrongful conduct occurred, though, which means it’s vital that you hire an attorney to assist you.
Your lawyer will gather the necessary evidence to prove just how severely the injury has impacted your life, and they will also negotiate aggressively with insurance companies to help you receive the type of settlement you deserve. In instances when obtaining a settlement isn’t possible, your lawyer can represent you in court after filing a lawsuit.
Contact Our Houston Personal Injury Lawyers at Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If an accident causes you to develop hemiplegia, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your lost wages, medical expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, and pain and suffering. There is too much at stake to try to pursue these cases on your own, though.
Hiring a Houston personal injury attorney with experience in these types of complex cases can help you recover what you deserve. Call Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation.
For more information, please get in touch with the Houston personal injury attorneys at Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers at our nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers
440 Louisiana St Suite 1115, Houston, TX 77002
(281) 667-4081
About The Author
Sean O’Rourke earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Texas. He frequently assists clients with their legal needs in Houston, with a focus on personal injury cases, especially those involving motor vehicle accidents (such as cars, commercial trucks, 18-wheelers, & motorcycles). Click here to view some of the amazing case results that Sean has successfully handled.
Location: Houston, TX