Areas the nerves control in the spinal cord injury
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Areas the nerves control in the spinal cord injury
Illustration copyright 2004 Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.nucleusinc.com
The nerves in the area of a vertebra control specific parts of the body. For example, the 7th cervical nerve (C7) in the neck area controls the triceps (the muscle in the upper arm), while the thoracic nerves (T2 through T7) control the chest muscles.
In a spinal cord injury, complete or partial paralysis occurs in the areas of the body that are controlled by the nerves associated with the damaged vertebrae and those below the damaged vertebrae. The higher the injury on the spinal cord, the more paralysis there is. For example, damage high on the spinal cord, in the cervical segment, can result in paralysis of the chest, arms, and legs (tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia), while damage lower down on the spine (thoracic, lumbar, or sacral segments) can result in paralysis of the legs and lower body (paraplegia).
Credits
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Nancy Greenwald, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation |
| Last Updated | February 22, 2007 |
| Last updated: | February 22, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, Nancy Greenwald, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation |
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