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The spinal cord is a thin, tubular structure that is an extension of the central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column. The main function of the spinal cord is transmission of neural inputs from the periphery to the brain and vice versa and is a vital structure in our survival and functional capacity.
Structure The spinal cord extends from the medulla in the brain and continues to the conus medullaris near the lumbar level at L1-2, terminating in a fibrous extension known as the filum terminale. The adult spinal cord is approximately 18 inches long, ovoid-shaped, and is enlarged in the cervical and lumbar regions. The peripheral regions of the cord contains neuronal white matter tracts containing sensory and motor neurons. The central region is four-leaf clover shaped that surrounds the central canal (an anatomic extension of the fourth ventricle) and contains nerve cell bodies. The three meninges that cover the spinal cord -- the outer dura mater, the arachnoid membrane, and the innermost pia mater -- are continuous with that in the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres, with cerebrospinal fluid found in the subarachnoid space. The cord within the pia mater is stabilized within the dura mater by the connecting denticulate ligaments which extends from the pia mater laterally between the dorsal and ventral roots. Spinal cord segments The spinal cord is divided into 31 different segments, with motor nerve roots exiting in the ventral aspects and sensory nerve roots entering in the dorsal aspects. The ventral and dorsal roots later join to form paired spinal nerves, one on each side of the spinal cord. There are 31 spinal cord segments: It is important to note that a spinal cord segment is not always found at the same level as its corresponding vertebra, especially in the lower spinal cord segments. In a fetus, the vertebral levels originally correspond with the spinal cord segments. The vertebral column, however, grows longer than the spinal cord. In the adult, the cord ends around the L1/L2 vertebral level, with all of the spinal cord segments located superiorly to this. For example, the segments for the lumbar and sacral regions are found between the vertebral levels of T9 and L2. The S4 spinal nerve roots arise from the cord around the upper lumbar/lower thoracic vertebral region, and descend downward in the vertebral canal. After they pass the end of the spinal cord, they are considered to be part of the cauda equina. The roots for S4 finally leave the vertebral canal in the sacrum. There are two regions where the spinal cord enlarges: Embryology In the human fetus, the spinal cord extends all the way down to the sacral vertebrae. As a person matures, the rest of the body grows faster than the spinal cord, so that by adulthood, the spinal cord reaches only to the level of the first or second lumbar vertebrae. There is no spinal cord below this level, only the individual spinal nerves that form the cauda equina. Injury Spinal cord injuries can be caused by falling on the neck or back, or having the spinal cord moved or disrupted in another way. The vertebral bones or intervertebral disks can shatter, causing the spinal cord to be punctured by a sharp fragment of bone. Usually victims of spinal cord injuries will suffer loss of feeling in certain parts of their body. In milder cases a victim might only suffer loss of hand or foot function. More severe injury may result in paraplegia, tetraplegia, or full body paralysis below the site of injury to the spinal cord. The two areas of the spinal cord most commonly injured are the cervical spine (C1-C7) and the lumbar spine (L1-L5). (The notation C1, C7, L1, L5 refer to the location of a specific vertebra in either the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar region of the spine.) | ||||||||
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