Nerve Organization



The nerves originate in the spinal cord and exit the spine at different intervals. A specific nerve controls specific sensation, muscle function, pain territory and reflex. The nerve exits at the corresponding disc level in the cervical spine so that a C4-C5 level disc would effect the C5 nerve. The blue rings are the pedicles, which serve as columns of bone projecting from the floor of the spinal canal to hold up the roof. The pedicles are shown cut across the base of the floor in this diagram. The spinal nerve anatomy is essentially an electrical wiring diagram. From a patient with a herniated disc, assessment of the symptoms, physical exam, and diagnostic studies can lead to an understanding of the location of interruption in the wiring diagram. The drawing above demonstrates the nerves on the right side of the spine. The same color coded nerve organization would exist on the left side of the diagram so that each spinal level has a matched pair of nerves but are not shown in this schematic to avoid confusion.