Hemiplegia is best described as?

• A. Loss of movement in both legs.
• B. Loss of movement on one side of the body.
• C. Total body paralysis.
• D. Loss of sensation only in feet.

Answer: (B)

Hemiplegia means paralysis or severe weakness on one side of the body, typically from a brain event like a stroke or brain injury that affects one hemisphere. The key idea is motor loss on that one side, which distinguishes it from conditions that affect both legs or the entire body. For example, loss of movement in both legs would be paraplegia, while paralysis of all four limbs is quadriplegia. Loss of sensation alone in the feet is a sensory deficit without the motor impairment that defines hemiplegia. In daily care, this means focusing on safe positioning and transfers for the affected side, supporting and guiding movements on that side, and avoiding pulling on the paralyzed extremities.