Paralysis is loss of
muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. About 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed with some form of paralysis, transient or permanent. The word comes from the
Greek παράλυσις, "disabling of the nerves", itself from παρά (
para), "beside, by" and λύσις (
lysis), "loosing" and that from λύω (
luō), "to loose". A paralysis accompanied by involuntary tremors is usually called "
palsy".