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WHAT IS SPINAL CORD
 Our spinal cord is the part of our nervous system that relays messages to and from our brain. It is housed inside our vertebrae, which are the bone disks that make up your spine.The spinal cord is the main pathway for information connecting the brain and peripheral nervous system.


The human spinal cord is protected by the bony spinal column . The spinal column is made up of bones called vertebrae. Although the spinal column is somewhat flexible, some of the vertebrae in the lower parts of the spinal column become fused.The spinal cord is located in the vertebral for amen and is made up of 31 segments: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 1 coccygeal. A pair of spinal nerves leaves each segment of the spinal cord.
 
The length of the spinal cord is about 45 cm in men and 43 cm in women. The spinal cord is shorter than the length of the bony spinal column; the spinal cord extends down only to the last of the thoracic vertebrae. Nerves that extend from the spinal cord from the lumbar and sacral levels must run in the vertebral canal for a distance before they leave the vertebral column. This collection of nerves in the vertebral canal is called the cauda equina (which means "horse tail").

    Receptors in the skin send information to the spinal cord through the spinal nerves. The cell bodies for these nerve fibers are located in the dorsal root ganglion. The nerve fibers enter the spinal cord through the dorsal root. Some fibers make synapses with other neurons in the dorsal horn, while others continue up to the brain. Many cell bodies in the ventral horn of the spinal cord send axons through the ventral root to muscles to control movement.


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