Where is the spinal cord?

In daily life, we must pay attention to the protection of the spinal cord. This is very important. First of all, we must avoid violent injuries to the spinal cord. We must be more careful when doing physical work. We must pay more attention to self-protection during exercise, because there are many reasons to damage the spinal cord. If you feel any discomfort in the spinal cord, you must go to a large hospital for treatment as soon as possible. Many people don’t know where the spinal cord is. Let’s learn about the body structure knowledge in this area.

Where is the spinal cord?

The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system. It is located in the vertebral canal formed by the vertebrae. It is long and cylindrical in shape. The human spinal cord is 41-45 cm long.

The upper end is connected to the medulla oblongata in the skull, and the lower end is cone-shaped and varies with individual development. In adults, it ends at the lower edge of the first lumbar vertebra or the upper part of the second lumbar vertebra (in newborns, it is at the third lumbar vertebra)!

(1) Conduction function: The spinal cord is an important pathway for the conduction of sensory and motor nerve impulses. Its structural basis is the ascending and descending fiber bundles in the spinal cord. Except for the head and face, the body's deep sensations, superficial sensations and most visceral sensory impulses are transmitted to the brain through the ascending fiber bundles of the white matter of the spinal cord. The impulses sent by the brain must also pass through the descending fiber bundles of the white matter of the spinal cord to regulate the activities of the trunk, skeletal muscles of the limbs and some internal organs.

(2) Reflex function: The spinal cord can perform some simple reflex activities, including somatic reflexes and visceral reflexes. Various spinal reflexes are completed through reflex arcs within and between spinal cord segments.

1) Somatic reflex: a reflex that causes skeletal muscle movement. Due to the different locations of the receptors, it is divided into superficial reflex and deep reflex.

Superficial reflex: It is a reflex that stimulates the receptors of the skin and mucous membranes and causes skeletal muscle contraction, such as the abdominal wall reflex.

If any part of the reflex arc of a shallow reflex is damaged, the reflex will be weakened or disappear.

Deep reflex: a reflex that stimulates muscle and tendon receptors and causes skeletal muscle contraction

When the spinal cord is injured, the patient's physical and mental health will be seriously damaged, so the first thing to do is to go to a specialized neurological treatment hospital for treatment to see if neurorepair technology can be used to treat the spinal cord injury.

When the spinal cord is injured, the functions of the human body's respiratory and urinary systems will be seriously damaged. Therefore, treatment should be started from these two aspects to avoid urinary tract infections and respiratory tract infections.

Since patients with spinal cord injuries may face problems such as paralysis, when patients are bedridden, it is also important to regularly move their hands and feet and wipe their bodies to prevent them from developing bedsores.

Patients with spinal cord injuries should also pay special attention to their diet. They should avoid foods containing too much fat. Instead, they should eat foods high in protein, vegetables, fruits, and carbohydrates.