Paraplegia is a paralysis which affects all or part of the lower body, the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs. Paralysis involves a loss of muscle control and can be complete or partial. While there are different types and causes of paraplegia, the most common type is caused by spinal cord injury due to trauma (motor vehicle accidents, falls, violence, sports or recreation injuries, alcohol use, or gunshot or knife wound) that damages the spinal cord. After a traumatic spinal cord injury, additional damage often occurs over time due to bleeding, swelling, and inflammation. In contrast, non-traumatic spinal cord injury may be caused by arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections, nerve or autoimmune diseases, polio, or disk degeneration of the spine.