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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

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• Children
• Patient Handouts

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.

Start Here

• Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Overview of Spinal Cord Disorders (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Lumbar and Cervical Discography (North American Spine Society)
• Myelography (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Neurological Exam (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Specialized Nerve Tests: EMG, NCV and SSEP (North American Spine Society)
• Spine MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• 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

• Birth Disorders of the Brain and Spinal Cord (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)

Genetics

• Caudal regression syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Advances in Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Research (National Cancer Institute)
• Key Statistics for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors (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: Efficacy of measuring lysophosphatidylcholine levels in human cerebrospinal fluid to differentiate...
• Article: Effect of diabetes mellitus on spinal cord high signal relief after...
• Article: Virtual reality-based training to augment recovery of hand dexterity after surgery...
• Spinal Cord Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Anatomy of the Spine (North American Spine Society)
• Central Nervous System: The Brain and Spinal Cord (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Definitions (North American Spine Society)

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Children

• 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
• Tabes dorsalis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish