SPINAL CORD

The spinal cord is a column of millions of nerve fibers that carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body. It extends from the brain to the area between the end of your first lumbar vertebra and top of your second lumbar vertebra. Each vertebra has a hole in the center, so when they stack on top of each other they form a hollow tube (spinal canal) that holds and protects the entire spinal cord and its nerve roots.

The spinal cord only goes down to the second lumbar vertebra. Below this level, the spinal canal contains a group of nerve fibers, called the caude equina. This group of nerves goes to the pelvis and lower limbs.

A protective membrane, called the dura mater, covers the spinal cord. The dura mater forms a watertight sac around the spinal cord and the spinal nerves. Inside this sac, the spinal cord is surrounded by spinal fluid.