What Does "Level of Injury" Mean?

The spinal cord runs in the spinal canal, which is formed by the bones in your back. The bones in your back are called vertebrae. These bones are classified according to where in your back they are found. Cervical vertebrae are found in your neck, thoracic vertebrae are found in your upper back, lumbar vertebrae are found in your lower back, and sacral vertebrae make up your "tail bone". Many nerves run to and from the spinal cord. They leave through tiny holes in the vertebrae. These nerves are coded depending on the area of the cord that they stem from. The cervical spinal cord has 8 nerve roots and is coded as C1 to C8. The thoracic spinal cord has 12 nerve roots and is coded as T1 to T12. The spinal cord ends around the first lumbar nerve root (L1). At this point, many nerves leave the

This is the system used to classify the "level of injury" of the spinal cord. If your injury is around C5, and you show signs and symptoms that go along with a C5 injury, the level of your injury is said to be C5.