Paraplegia is the medical name for losing the ability to move the legs and the lower part of the body.

Paraplegia is the medical nameparaplegia是醫學上的名稱, for losing the ability to move the legs and the lower part of the body指失去移動雙腿和下半身的能力。

It is usually caused by damage to the spinal cord — the thick bundle of nerves running down inside your backbone — from an accident, an illness, or sometimes something a person is born with. When that cord is cut off or crushed, the messages from the brain cannot reach below the injury, so the legs no longer move.

It is usually caused by damage to the spinal cord這通常是脊髓受損造成的——the thick bundle of nerves running down inside your backbone也就是沿著脊椎往下延伸的那一大束神經——from an accident, an illness, or sometimes something a person is born with可能來自意外、疾病，或有時是天生的。When that cord is cut off or crushed當那條脊髓被切斷或壓迫時, the messages from the brain cannot reach below the injury大腦傳來的訊息就到不了受傷部位以下, so the legs no longer move於是雙腿就不再能動。

Feeling is often lost too, and control of the bladder and bowels is frequently affected as well, which is a part of the condition that people outside medicine tend not to think about.

Feeling is often lost too知覺往往也會一併喪失, and control of the bladder and bowels is frequently affected as well對膀胱和腸道的控制也常常受影響, which is a part of the condition that people outside medicine tend not to think about而這是醫學圈外的人常常不會想到的一部分。

The word names the condition itself, not the person: the person is a paraplegic. It is uncountable, so you say 'he has paraplegia', never 'a paraplegia' or 'paraplegias'.

The word names the condition itself這個詞指的是這個狀況本身, not the person而不是那個人：the person is a paraplegic那個人要說是a paraplegic。It is uncountable這是不可數名詞, so you say 'he has paraplegia'所以要說'he has paraplegia', never 'a paraplegia' or 'paraplegias'絕不會說'a paraplegia'或'paraplegias'。

It sits in a small family of similar medical words worth knowing together: paraplegia is the lower body; quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia) is all four limbs; hemiplegia is one side of the body, often after a stroke.

It sits in a small family of similar medical words worth knowing together它跟幾個類似的醫學詞屬於同一個家族，值得一起認識：paraplegia is the lower bodyparaplegia是下半身；quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia) is all four limbsquadriplegia（也叫tetraplegia）是四肢；hemiplegia is one side of the bodyhemiplegia是身體的一側, often after a stroke常常是中風後發生的。

Note that paraplegia does not mean the person cannot do things — many people with paraplegia work, drive adapted cars, and compete in sport. The word describes movement, not ability.

Note that paraplegia does not mean the person cannot do things要注意paraplegia不代表這個人什麼都做不了：many people with paraplegia work, drive adapted cars, and compete in sport很多有paraplegia的人一樣工作、開改裝過的車，也參加運動比賽。The word describes movement這個詞描述的是行動能力, not ability而不是能力。