The spinal cord

The spinal cord is part of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and together with the brain, it controls bodily functions including movement and behaviour. The spinal cord forms a vital link between the brain and the rest of the body – if damaged, sensation and movement may be impaired or completely lost.

The spinal cord is protected by the bones of the spine and is cushioned by a clear fluid called cerebral spinal fluid. Nerves enter and exit the spinal cord at different points to control the various parts of the body.

 
Spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury is a broad term for damage to the spinal cord. Most spinal cord injuries cause some degree of permanent disability or loss of sensation in parts of the body below the site of injury. The degree of disability depends on the extent of the injury and where along the spinal cord it occurs.

Spinal cord injury falls into four different categories:

• Complete injury: no voluntary movement or sensation below the neurological site of injury
• Incomplete injury: some sensation remaining below the neurological site of injury
• Tetraplegia (quadriplegia): paralysis involving most of the internal organs and all four limbs
• Paraplegia: complete or incomplete paralysis, affecting the legs and sometimes the internal organs, but not the arms

How common is spinal cord injury?
There is not much data on the incidence of spinal cord injury. However, in the United States alone, about 450,000 people (one in 670) are living with spinal cord injury. There are about 11,000 new cases (one in 30,000 people) each year. Most spinal cord injuries occur in young men as a result of car accidents, falls or violence.

Nerves affecting different parts of the body: 

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