What happens when the spinal cord is injured?
1 Answer
Spinal cord travels through vertebral column/backbone , which is made of many small bony pieces called vertebrae .
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Each vertebra is a ring shaped bone through which the spinal cord can pass.
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Between two vertebrae there is a cartilagenous intervertebral disc acting as cushion.
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Damage to any part of spinal cord may happen injuring the structure, due to fracture of vertebrae or due to compression by intervertebral discs.
Extent of injury may vary, which is 'complete' in case of severe damage resulting from traumatic accidents or violent attacks. This results in loss of all sensory and motor functions of organs supplied by the spinal cord below the point of injury. Such paralytic conditions are almost always nonreversible.
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Depending on the extent of injury and its location, different signs and symptoms are noted.
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'Superman' Christopher Reeve lived as a quadruplegic after he accidentally fell from a horse in 1995 while riding. He was supported by a portable ventilator till his death, in 2004.
