The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cord, made of soft tissue and surrounded by bones (vertebrae), extends downward from the base of your brain and is made up of nerve cells and groups of nerves called tracts, which go to different parts of your body.
Spinal cord injury is damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal by interrupting the messages between the brain and the rest of the body. It often causes permanent changes in strength, sensation and other body functions below the site of the injury.
