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