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The Injury.
What is a spinal cord injury?
The spinal cord is the body’s ‘information superhighway'.
The spinal cord enables communication between the brain and the rest of the body. It contains bundles of neurons that carry signals to and from the brain that control almost every function of our bodies. All the information needed to initiate and control movement travels down the spinal cord from the brain to the muscles of the body.
Cervical Spine C1 – C8
Thoracic Spine T1 – T12
Lumbar Spine L1 – L5
Sacral Spine S1 – S5
Signals from every part of the body also pass up the spinal cord.
These signals relay sensory information (such as touch, pressure and heat) to the areas of the brain that deal with these sensations and our responses to them. After spinal cord injury, damaged neurons are unable to conduct signals and the injured person loses sensory information and muscle control.
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Spinal cord injury is one of the most complex medical challenges. Help us find effective treatments to benefit thousands of people every year