Spinal-Cord Injuries
Canadian junior hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki sustained a fracture of the second and third vertebrae of his thoracic spine in a bus crash.
He has no movement and little sensation below his injury.
Nerves in the spinal cord affect specific parts of the body. When a spinal-cord injury occurs, the body loses functions in all areas associated with the nerves below the injury location.
Cervical
nerves
C1
C2
Head and neck
C3
Diaphram
C4
C5
Deltoid, biceps
C6
Wrist extenders
C7
Triceps
C8
T1
Hand
T2
Thoracic
nerves
T3
Straschnitzki’s
accident
shattered his
T2 and T3
vertebrae,
located slightly
above the
shoulder blades.
He is paralyzed
from that
point down.
T4
T5
Chest muscles
T6
T7
T8
T9
T10
Abdominal muscles
T11
T12
L1
Lumbar
nerves
L2
Leg muscles
L3
L4
L5
Sacral nerves
Bowels, bladder
Sexual function
SOURCE: Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation
JON SNYDER / Staff Artist