Back: Spinal Cord Flashcards
Spinal Cord
- Part of the central nervous system
- Located in the vertebral canal
- Spans from the foramen magnum to L2
Cervical Enlargement
- C4-T1 segments of cord
Lumbar Enlargement
- L1-S3 segments of cord
Conus Medullaris
- End of the spinal cord located at L2
Thoracic Spine
- Gives rise to the nerves that innervate the upper extremity
Lumbar Spine
- Nerves that innervate the lower extremities
Embryology
- Differential growth between cord and vertebral column/dura mater
Embryo/Fetus Prior to 8 Weeks
- Cord extends length of vertebral canal
Embryo/Fetus 6 Months Onward
- Tip of cord is at vertebral level S1
Spinal Cord Segment
- Gives rise to rootlets at a particular level
Anterior (Ventral) Rootlets
- Contain efferent (motor) nerve fibers
Posterior (Dorsal) Rootlets
- Contain afferent (sensory) nerve fibers
Dorsal Root Ganglion
- Cell bodies of pseudounipolar sensory neurons
Anterior and Posterior Root
- Unite to form spinal nerve
Spinal Nerve
- Mixed nerve (motor and sensory)
- Representative of spinal cord segment
- Exits out intervertebral foramen
Cauda Equina
- spinal nerve roots from the lumbosacral enlargement and conus medullaris
Posterior and Anterior Rami
- Spinal nerves branch into these
Posterior Ramus
- Facet joints of vertebral column
- Deep back muscles
- Skin over the back
Anterior Ramus
- Supply almost everything else
- Anterior and lateral trunk/abdomen (intercostal nerves)
- Upper and lower extremity (brachial & lumbosacral plexuses)
- Neck (cervical plexus)
Meningeal Branches of Spinal Nerves
- Recurrent meningeal nerve
- Branch off the spinal nerve of anterior ramus
Supplied by Recurrent Meningeal Nerve
- Periosteum of portion of the vertebra
- Outer annulus fibrosis
- Dura mater
- PLL
- Blood vessels
Recurrent Meningeal Nerve
- Loops back/passes through the IVF
Posterior Ramus
- Provides motor to deep back muscles and branches that supply the skin, facet joints, zygapophyseal joints
Anterior Ramus
- Larger component of the spinal nerve that innervates everything else
- Forms a plexus (network of nerves)
- T1 and sometimes T2, the lumbar and sacral region nerves connect with each other to for plexus
PLL
- Supplies dura mater
Cervical Spinal Nerves
- Exit vertebral canal above same number vertebrae
Cervical
- 8 spinal nerves
Thoracic
- 12 spinal nerves
Lumbar
- 5 spinal nerves
Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Nerves
- Exit vertebral canal below same number vertebrae
Sacral
- 5 spinal nerves
Spinal Nerve S5
- Exits through sacral hiatus
S1-S4
- Anterior/posterior rami exit through anterior/posterior sacral foramina
Coccygeal
- Nerves exit through sacral hiatus
Anterior Rami
- Give rise to the intercostal nerves in the thoracic region
- Form plexuses in the cervical and lumbosacral regions
Plexuses
- Give rise to multi-segmental peripheral nerves
Peripheral Nerve
- Nerves that come together from different regions to form a new name nerve
Somatic Nervous System
- Sensory and motor to everything except viscera, smooth muscle, glands
Somatic Nerve Fibers
- Sensation from the body, typically reaches consciousness
- Pain, temperature, touch, pressure
- Proprioceptive (mostly subconscious)
Afferent
- General sensory
Efferent
- Somatic motor
Somatic Motor (Efferent) Nerves
- Skeletal muscle (voluntary)
- Single neuron from spinal cord to muscle
Dermatome
- Area of skin supplied by a spinal segment and spinal nerve
- Usually there is overlap between them
Peripheral Nerve Distribution
- Area of skin supplied by peripheral nerve
Myotome
- Group of muscles innervated by a spinal nerve
- Most muscle groups of the extremity are innervated by multiple spinal nerves (formed by multiple of these)
- One or two are more strongly associated with each muscle groups
Peripheral Nerve Innervation
- Can innervate one or muscle groups
Visceral Innervation
- Cardiac and smooth muscle, glands
Visceral Sensory
- Normally not perceived, subconscious reflexes
- Not sensitive to touch, vibration
- Sensitive to chemical irritation, ischemia
- Large amounts of distension, contraction
- Referred pain
Visceral Motor
- Autonomic nervous system