Anatomy of Spinal Cord

Anatomy is the science that details the internal structure of the living body. The spinal cord is an essential organ of the body, a column of nerves that connects our brain to the rest of the body. It helps in movement and balance and serves as a communication channel, where the nerve cells play a crucial role. The nerve cells or neurons carry the signals from the brain to the muscles and other organs. In this short course, Dr Saqib Mansoor, your tutor, will acquaint you with the cross-sectional levels of the spine. It begins by answering some basic questions about the four divisions of the spinal cord, the central canal and what is the white and grey matter? The first module also covers the lesions of the upper and lower motor neurons. A lesion is any abnormal change or damage to tissue. You will learn about the differences between the upper and lower motor lesions and their stages.

Next, we will dive into the different signs associated with the lesions of the motor neurons. Have you heard of the Babinski sign? How is the Chaddock sign different from the Oppenheim sign? Where do we examine Gordon's reflex? The video lessons will answer these questions and more. We explore the lumbar puncture or spinal tap with diagrams and easy-to-understand language. We identify its goal and the contraindications of a lumbar puncture. The basics of spine anatomy examine all the linkages between lesions, levels and their effect on the spine functions. The next module focuses on the clinical spine and begins with a lesson on syringomyelia. What is the main sign of syringomyelia and its causes? You will learn about its symptoms that vary across patients.

The subsequent topics research the common syndromes of the spinal cord. You will learn about the neurological conditions associated with spinal cord injury and the causal factors of anterior cord or central cord syndrome. What are the clinical features of Brown-Sequard syndrome? We will discuss this in detail. The spinal cord controls our voluntary and involuntary movements: any injury to the spine can impact some critical organ functions so it is essential to know its anatomy. Medical students and practitioners of healthcare will benefit from this course as they will learn about the spinal anatomy and the typical syndromes associated with the spine. This knowledge is practical when you have to evaluate a patient and enables you to come up with a better-directed diagnostic evaluation. Enrol now for this short and fascinating online course.