Spinal cord anatomy

The Spinal Cord is part of the Central Nervous System which transmits information from the brain to the limbs, trunks and organs of the body. The Spinal Cord consists of millions of nerves which act as pathways for the information to reach the body, there are three types of nerves which carry the information from the spinal cord.

1. Cervical Nerves – nerves in the neck which supply movement and feeling to the arms, neck and upper trunk
2. Thoracic Nerves – nerves in the upper back which supply movement to the trunk and abdomen.
3. Lumbar and Sacral Nerves – found in the lower back which supply the legs, the bladder, bowel and sexual organs.

The spinal nerves carry information from different levels in the spinal cord and are numbered according to their position in the spinal column:

• Cervical Nerves: C1-C8
• Thoracic Nerves: T1-T12
• Lumbar: L1-L5
• Sacral: S1-S5

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