Spinal injuries and the body

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Spinal injuries and the body

Graphic by: RAYMOND GRUMNEY
Updated: February 24, 2012 - 5:31 PM

A patient’s ability to move after a severe spinal cord injury depends on where the spine is damaged. Nerves from different parts of the body – arms, hands, legs – connect at specific points on the spinal cord. A cord severed at C-5, for example, means you can breathe and move your head and shoulders, but not your legs, wrists or hands.