This includes motor commands and sensory information.
The spinal cord also helps coordinate your reflexes.
The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system.
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The spine (backbone) encloses and protects the spinal cord.
What Is the Function of the Spinal Cord?
The top region of the spinal cord extends down from the medulla all the way to the lower back.
What Are the Regions of the Spinal Cord?
How long is the spinal cord?
In most adults, the spinal cord is about 18 inches long.
A coating calledmyelin(a jot down of fat) insulates all nerves.
This butterfly-shaped gray matter contains nerve roots.
The white matter is composed of several tracts (pathways) that travel up and down the spinal cord.
Sections of the spinal cord include the following.
Motor signals are initiated in the motor strip, a region of the cerebral cortex of the brain.
This area is the posterior region of the grey matter.
The spinal cord mediates sensation coming from the skin, bones, and internal organs.
This area is composed of nerves that mediate autonomic functions of the body.
Associated Conditions
There are a number of medical problems that can affect the spinal cord.
Disease of the spinal cord is often described asmyelopathy.
These conditions cause impairment of motor, sensory, and/or autonomic function.
Myelopathy also often causesspasticity, which is stiffness of the affected arm and/or leg.
The symptoms of any spinal cord problem typically correspond to the section of the spinal cord that is impaired.
Metastatic (spreading throughout the body) cancer can cause spinal cord compression as well.
What happens if the spinal cord is damaged?
An injury to the spinal cord can cause a range of symptoms, depending on where the injury occurred.
Injuries that happen higher up on the spinal cord tend to be more severe.
When the spinal cord is injured at the neck, it may cause problems with breathing.
An injury to the spinal cord in the lower back may cause problems with bladder and bowel control.
Some injuries can cause partial or complete paralysis.
ALS causes progressive weakness and, eventually, a complete loss of muscle control.
As a result, most individuals affected by ALS need a high level of supportive care.
Currently, there is no cure for ALS.
Other types of meningitis may require anti-inflammatory therapy or other treatments that target the cause.
This can lead to severe damage, with resulting loss of spinal cord function.
SMA is characterized by degeneration of the motor neurons in the spinal cord.
Treatment
Spinal cord diseases and injuries typically require medical and/or surgical interventions.
Treatment may include steroids to reduce inflammation or antibiotics to target bacterial infections.
Cancer may require treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Therapies also usually include physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises.
The spinal cord can be damaged during a traumatic injury.
It can also be affected by conditions such as multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Certain viruses, bacteria, and cancers can also affect the spinal cord.
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