Disabilities can be physical in nature like the inability to walk due to amputation, or muscular or neurological dysfunction, whether it is temporary or permanent. It can happen in any gender of any age that includes genetic or inherited disorder, some illness or due to some accident. There are at least 30 million people in Pakistan who are suffering from physical disabilities, according to WHO. Some of the most common physical disabilities that Pakistanis are suffering from are as followed:
Spinal cord injury
The spinal cord is the full and biggest support of the body without which no activity can be carried out. If it gets injured or too much pressure is applied over it, the oxygen and blood supply to the spinal cord ends and its damage is even more dangerous because that may lead to the loss of body function and one loss mobility and feeling. Some people lose function below the chest or some lose the function below the neck. Its injury is called paraplegia. Moreover, it can also lead to paralysis. It can affect any part of the human body like cardiovascular and respiratory systems etc. It mostly happens due to a fall, diseases like polio, road accidents and sports injuries.
Muscular dystrophy
It leads to irreversible weakness as it is a genetic disorder that leads to loss of muscle mass. It is caused by mutations in the genes responsible for healthy muscle structure and function. Muscular dystrophy is of 30 different types and all have different causes. A person faces difficulty in walking, trouble in breathing, restriction in joint motion and other issues related to the heart or different body organs. Its symptoms appear in childhood.
Acquired brain injury
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage which is caused by events after birth. The causes can be some infection, disease like AIDs, cancer, stroke or blow to the head or due to too much consumption of alcohol and drugs by the mother during the pregnancy. Lack of oxygen to the fetus can be another reason. Brain injury is common in many people and this injury leads them to face problems in processing information, solving problem or planning. They also face behavioral issues and their personality, sensory abilities, thinking and learning highly get affected. These issues may be temporary or permanent.
Cerebral palsy
This one is also among common physical disabilities and it causes due to some injury in the developing brain before or during the birth that occurs because of the less supply of blood and oxygen to the brain of the fetus. If the fetus gets rubella during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the baby will likely be born with this disability and with many other problems. When rubella in pregnant women develops, it attacks the premature child and, in this way, accidental brain injury occurs. Such people face weakness in the body, their muscles get out of control, involuntary movement, issues in coordination and, experience difficulty in walking.
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