If you have a spinal cord injury, is it difficult to move your rib cage or diaphragm?

Answer by  chienar (65)

What can and cannot be moved with a spinal cord injury depends on both the level of the injury and the severity (damage or severing). Someone with a lumbar spine injury is less impaired than one with a thoracic spine or cervical spine injury. Cervical injuries are the most severe.

Answer by  jsmith (2067)

The diaphragm is innervated by the phrenic nerve, which actually travels outside the spinal cord right after the brainstem (hence quadriplegics can still breathe). Moving ribs theoretically could be affected.

Answer by  Cassandradalla (228)

The answer depends upon the location of the spinal cord injury; consult a qualified medical professional before seeking to move any suspected spinal cord injury patient.

Answer by  jsmith (2067)

Generally, no. Those muscles are controlled by the phrenic nerve which exits early and travels outside the spinal cord and thus is rarely damaged in traumatic spinal cord injury.

Answer by  fiendishredhead (179)

It really depends on where the spinal cord was damaged. Damage to the cervical and/or the thoracic vertebrae will impact breathing in varying degrees.