--- description: Navigating the Devastating Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries: Expert Legal Guidance Every Step of the Way. Learn More About Spinal Cord Injuries title: The Anatomy of the Spinal Cord - The Virginia Trial Firm canonical: https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/the-anatomy-of-the-spinal-cord/ date_published: 2023-12-15T22:09:35+00:00 date_modified: 2025-08-01T00:01:22+00:00 practice_area: spinal-cord --- - The Anatomy of the Spinal Cord - The Virginia Trial Firm [Skip to content](#content) # The Anatomy of the Spinal Cord Let’s look at the anatomy of the spinal cord. #### **Demystifying the Spine: A Closer Look at the Spinal Cord and Its Vulnerable Nerves** This is what a typical vertebra of the spine looks like; you can see the spinal cord and its nerves go through openings between them. The spinal cord is a very delicate structure, and injury most commonly occurs because of some sort of damage to the spaces where the cord or nerves are. #### **Understanding Injury Levels and Completeness: Navigating the Impact of Spinal Cord Damage** The lowest part of the spinal cord that was not damaged after an injury is known as the neurological level of the injury. “The completeness” of the injury refers to how much feeling, known as sensation, is lost. If all feeling and ability to control movement are lost below where the spinal cord is injured, it is known as a complete injury. If some feeling and control of movement remain below the affected area, the injury is called an incomplete injury. Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, involves the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs. Paraplegia involves paralysis of all or part of the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs but not the arms. The diagram to the left shows the types of vertebrae and their locations or levels. Each of them is color-coded to show the parts of the body that are controlled by the spinal cord in those vertebrae. [Spinal cord injuries](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/personal-injury-lawyers/spinal-cord-injury-lawyer-richmond-va/) are among the most devastating injuries someone can experience, and it is important the full breadth of the injury is understood by your legal team. If you have a client with a spinal cord injury, our experienced personal injury lawyers can co-counsel on these complicated cases; call us. [Joseph Cantor](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/author/joseph-cantor/) - [Brain Injury](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/category/brain-injury/) Share This Post #### On This Page ### Contact Us ### Recent Posts ### [Back to School After a Brain Injury: What Every Parent Needs to Know](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/back-to-school-after-a-brain-injury-what-every-parent-needs-to-know/) The Virginia Trial Firm July 28, 2026 [Read More »](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/back-to-school-after-a-brain-injury-what-every-parent-needs-to-know/) [![all partners at cgbb](https://cdn-enhik.nitrocdn.com/PtWhdKFPEeclDcOWLqiCgcuiKvdeYeHi/assets/images/optimized/rev-655816e/virginiatrialfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/all-partners-photo-300x163.webp)](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/more-than-a-law-firm-investing-in-the-communities-where-virginia-families-learn-grow-and-thrive/) ### [More Than a Law Firm: Investing in the Communities Where Virginia Families Learn, Grow, and Thrive](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/more-than-a-law-firm-investing-in-the-communities-where-virginia-families-learn-grow-and-thrive/) The Virginia Trial Firm July 20, 2026 [Read More »](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/more-than-a-law-firm-investing-in-the-communities-where-virginia-families-learn-grow-and-thrive/) ### [Cantor Grana Buckner Bucci Partners Stephanie Grana and Elliott Buckner Named Among Virginia’s Top 5 Personal Injury Plaintiff Super Lawyers® for 2026](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/cgbb-super-lawyers-2026-top-5-personal-injury-plaintiff-virginia-2/) The Virginia Trial Firm June 9, 2026 [Read More »](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/cgbb-super-lawyers-2026-top-5-personal-injury-plaintiff-virginia-2/) ### [Attention, Memory, and the Aging Brain: New Research on Focus, Recall, and Emotional Memory](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/attention-memory-and-the-aging-brain-new-research-on-focus-recall-and-emotional-memory/) The Virginia Trial Firm June 4, 2026 [Read More »](https://virginiatrialfirm.com/blog/attention-memory-and-the-aging-brain-new-research-on-focus-recall-and-emotional-memory/) Get Started Right Away! 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