Mary is in an automobile accident and suffers a spinal cord injury.She has lost feeling in her lower body.Her doctor tells her that swelling is compressing a portion of her spinal cord.Which part of her cord is likely to be compressed?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mary has lost feeling in her lower body, which suggests that the compression is occurring in the lumbar region of her spinal cord, where the nerves that control sensation and movement in the legs are located. This rules out choices A and B, which refer to the cervical region. Choice D is incorrect because the descending tracts in the lumbar region control motor function, not sensation. Choice E is also incorrect because swelling would not necessarily compress the anterior white commissures, which are located in the middle of the spinal cord and contain axons that cross from one side of the spinal cord to the other.

Mary Is in an Automobile Accident and Suffers a Spinal