10/17
We’ve talked A LOT about the spine and vertebrae, discs, and muscles. But what about the super important structure that it houses?
The spinal cord is, well, pretty important. Without it you wouldn’t be moving that’s for sure. It is one of the true power houses of the body. It controls so much more than you think! Let’s look at a few of its’ more impressive aspects.
It’s your nervous systems headquarters – It holds the peripheral nervous system and 33 nerve pairs, both sensory and motor. Thanks to this system, your brain, and spinal cord are connected to all the other parts of your body.
It controls voluntary and involuntary movements – The spinal cord is the reason you can lift your hand and make a fist, and it’s also responsible for involuntary movement, such as breathing.
It’s a conductor – The reason you can get up and walk right now is that the spinal cord carries signals to the legs to extend, stand, and start the walking movements.
An injury can disrupt these signals – A spinal cord injury can affect the transmission of signals between the nerve cells and different parts of the body.
It can’t repair itself – While other parts of the body can regenerate and heal, the spinal cord cannot.
It can function independently from the brain – The spinal cord doesn’t take all it’s signals from the brain. It some instances, it can send signals to the muscles on it’s own.
It’s highly protected – You’ll be happy to know there is a vertebral column that covers and protects your spinal cord. Inside the column lies the spinal canal, which is the cavity that holds the spinal cord.
It’s divided into 31 segments – The spinal cord is quite a complex system with many types of nerve cells: Cervical, lumbar, thoracic, sacral, etc.
It grows until you’re 5 years old – The spinal cord usually develops along with you until the age of 5. After that, your body will continue to grow around it.
I don’t know about you, but I think those are some fascinating facts! Our body is truly a perfectly designed machine. Don’t forget to take care of it so it runs properly!