What is Paralysis?
When the nerve signals to muscles get disrupted, you may experience Paralysis. In such cases, voluntary movements get restricted.
Types of Paralysis
Types of Paralysis include:
1. Complete Paralysis, where you do not feel any sensation in your muscles, neither you will be able to move nor control your muscles.
2. Partial Paralysis or 'paresis' or incomplete Paralysis, in which you can feel certain sensations in your muscles.
3. Localised Paralysis affects particular areas such as your face, feet, hands or vocal cords.
4. Generalised Paralysis can affect more than one body part at a time. This can lead to the below conditions:
- Monoplegia, affecting one area of the body, such as one arm or leg.
- Hemiplegia affects one arm and one leg on the same side of the body.
- Paraplegia, also known as lower body Paralysis, affects both legs and sometimes the hips and organs in the lower abdomen.
- Quadriplegia affects both arms and legs, and at times muscles in the trunk, the functions of internal organs, or both.
Common causes of Paralysis include stroke, spinal cord tumour and nerve disorders like multiple sclerosis, substance abuse, cerebral palsy, etc.
Symptoms of Paralysis are usually easy to recognise. If you have Paralysis, you will lose function in one or more areas of your body. A tingling or numbing sensation may occur before total Paralysis sets in. Controlling muscles in the affected body parts will also be difficult or impossible due to Paralysis.
Your doctor may diagnose Paralysis using X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans or other imaging studies. The treatment involves physiotherapy, moveability and medications. In some cases, advanced nerve surgery techniques in conjunction with physical therapy may be used to reverse arm and hand paralysis occurring due to spinal cord injury.
Is Paralysis covered under Health Insurance?
Paralysis is a chronic disease. A paralytic patient needs ample time to recover from it; immediate treatment and regular medical attention are important requisites. Therefore, it is known as a critical illness and hence is not covered in your regular Health Insurance. However, the treatment expenses can be covered with a rider plan.
A rider is an additional benefit that can be obtained by adding it to your basic Health Insurance plan on paying an additional Premium.
Significance of Critical Illness Policy
The treatment cost of the ailment is based on the severity of the disease. If the whole body has been affected by the paralytic attack, the treatment cost seems to be higher, whereas, in the case of a specific body part getting affected, a lesser cost is incurred.
Dealing with Paralysis gets more complicated when accompanied by financial strain towards the treatment. In such cases, taking a Critical Illness Policy beforehand can be extremely useful.
If you choose a critical illness cover, you will be eligible for a lump sum amount for treatment expenses when diagnosed with major critical illnesses. Many insurers in India offer Critical Illness Health Insurance plans.
Star Critical Illness Multipay Insurance Policy, a standalone critical illness policy provides lump sum compensation on the diagnosis of any critical illness among the four groups of critical illnesses mentioned in the policy. However, the policy covers the treatment expenses only after 90 days of commencement of cover under the policy. The insured person should have survived up to 15 days from the date of diagnosis of such a major disease. Policyholders can enrol in Star Wellness Program, which intends to promote, incentivise and reward the Insured Persons' healthy lifestyle through various wellness activities, earn reward points and avail discount in renewal Premium. Policyholders can enrol in Star Wellness Program, which intends to promote, incentivise and reward the Insured Persons' healthy lifestyle through various wellness activities, earn reward points and avail discount in renewal Premium.
For more details on the terms and conditions of these policies, please refer to the policy clauses.
