The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system.
The human spinal cord is divided into 31 different segments. The segments are broken down as follows:
- 8 cervical segments forming 8 pairs of cervical nerves (C1-C8)
- 12 thoracic segments forming 12 pairs of thoracic nerves (T1–T12)
- 5 lumbar segments forming 5 pairs of lumbar nerves (L1–L5)
- 5 sacral segments forming 5 pairs of sacral nerves (S1–S5)
- 1 coccygeal segment
What is a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injuries occur when trauma to the spinal column causes damage or places pressure on the spinal cord itself. The spinal column in made up of 31 vertebrae that are stacked vertically along the back.
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