1. A Highlight of Medical Terminology Sarah Czarnota The Nervous System

2. -plegia: paralysis Combining this suffix with prefixes such as mono-, para-,or quadri- provides us with information about the degree of paralysis: Monoplegia: Paralysis of one For example, the paralysis of the right arm Paraplegia: Paralysis beside or near Indicates paralysis of two nearby limbs, such as both arms or both legs Typically refers to paralysis below the waist (both legs) Quadriplegia Paralysis of four Indicates paralysis of all four limbs (both legs and both arms)

3. -esthesia: feeling or sensation This suffix can be combined with many descriptive prefixes to provide us with additional information on the type of feeling or sensation: Anesthesia (an-: without): Without feeling or sensation During surgery, anesthesia is given to a patient to prevent him/her from feeling the procedure (thankfully!!!) Hyperesthesia (hyper-: over or above): Excessive feeling or sensation Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) produces intense feelings of pain from a small stimulus and may be caused by nerve damage (for example, light touching of the foot would feel like being stabbed with a knife)

4. -paresis: weakness This suffix can be combined with the prefixes mono- or hemi- to provide us with information about the degree of weakness: Monoparesis (mono-: one): Weakness of one (or part of one) Indicates weakness of one limb (such as the right leg) Hemiparesis (hemi-: half): Weakness in one half of body Hemiparesis may occur as a symptom of multiple sclerosis, with weakness on the left or right side of the body (depending on the location of the MS lesion)