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Summary
Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of your back. It carries signals back and forth between your body and your brain. It is protected by your vertebrae, which are the bone disks that make up your spine. If you have an accident that damages the vertebrae or other parts of the spine, this can also injure the spinal cord. Other spinal cord problems include:
- Tumors
- Infections such as meningitis and polio
- Inflammatory diseases
- Autoimmune diseases
- Degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy
Symptoms vary but might include pain, numbness, loss of sensation and muscle weakness. These symptoms can occur around the spinal cord, and also in other areas such as your arms and legs. Treatments often include medicines and surgery.
Diagnosis and Tests
-
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Lumbar and Cervical Discography (North American Spine Society)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Spine (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
-
Myelography
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
-
Neurological Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
-
Neurological Exam
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Specialized Nerve Tests: EMG, NCV and SSEP (North American Spine Society)
Treatments and Therapies
-
Childhood Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors Treatment Overview
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
-
Childhood Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Dressing with Ease, Style, and Comfort (ALS Association)
Specifics
- Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults (American Cancer Society)
-
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Central Pain Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Hydromyelia
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Spinal Cord Tumor (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Spinal Infections (North American Spine Society)
-
Stiff-Person Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Tabes Dorsalis
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Tarlov Cysts
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Transverse Myelitis
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary
-
Transverse Myelitis
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Genetics
-
Caudal regression syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics
(National Library of Medicine)
Statistics and Research
- What Are the Key Statistics about Brain and Spinal Cord Cancers? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Spinal Cord Diseases
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Comparison of intraoperative neuromonitoring accuracies and procedures associated with alarms in...
- Article: High reliability and accuracy of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging in the...
- Article: Transcorporeal decompression using a fully-endoscopic anterior cervical approach to treat cervical...
- Spinal Cord Diseases -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Anatomy of the Spine (North American Spine Society)
- Definitions A-Z (North American Spine Society)
Find an Expert
Children
- What Are the Risk Factors for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Children? (American Cancer Society)
Patient Handouts
- Epidural abscess (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Spinal cord abscess (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Spinal tumor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Subacute combined degeneration (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Syphilitic myelopathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish