The brain and spinal cord are your body’s central nervous system. The brain is the command center for your body, and the spinal cord is the pathway for messages sent by the brain to the body and from the body to the brain.

The peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves strands that branch off from the left and right sides of the spinal cord through openings between each vertebra on the spinal canal. These nerve pairs spread throughout your body to deliver commands from your brain and spinal cord to and from parts of your body. Diagram.

The central nervous system and peripheral nervous system work together to allow your brain to control your body’s many functions, which includes 3 important areas (Diagram):

1. Motor Functions - directs your body’s voluntary muscle movements.
2. Sensory Functions – monitors sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and pain.
3. Autonomic Functions – regulates digestion, urination, body temperature, heart rate, and dilation/contraction of blood vessels (blood pressure).

See Resources
Understanding Spinal Cord Injury: Part 1 - The Body Before and After Injury (PDF) (en español)
This fact sheet is intended to be a starting point for understanding the normal functions of the spinal cord and how those functions might change after spinal cord injury. This and other fact sheets from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center provide useful health information that is based on research evidence and/or professional consensus and has been reviewed and approved by the SCI Model Systems editorial team of experts.

Understanding Spinal Cord Injury: Part 2 - Recovery and Rehabilitation (PDF) (en español)
Recovery and Rehabilitation is important to returning to functioning back to normal. There is no cure for SCI but you can learn the potential areas for improvement. This and other fact sheets from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center provide useful health information that is based on research evidence and/or professional consensus and has been reviewed and approved by the SCI Model Systems editorial team of experts.

Understanding Spinal Cord Injury: What you should know about spinal cord injury and recovery
This video uses simple language and images of real people who have sustained a spinal cord injury, as well as medical experts and advocates. Produced by Shepherd Center and KPKinteractive in collaboration with the American Trauma Society, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Understanding Spinal Cord Impairments and Functional Goals
This 26 minute video offers a basic understanding of the normal function of the spinal cord and the impact of impairment at different types and levels of injury. In addition, functional goals are addressed for levels of impairment. This video 1 in an 11-part video series provided by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS).

Spinal Cord Injury
A chapter from the Spinal Cord Injury Patient – Family Teaching Manual published by the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley (RSCICDV) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. Spanish

Spinal Anatomy Center
Feature Articles and Video and Animation Directory from SpineUniverse provides patient and healthcare professional education, providing clear, straightforward information on conditions related to the spine, including degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and scoliosis.

Spinal Cord and Spinal Nerve
Learning Modules - Medical Gross Anatomy from the University of Michigan Medical School.