Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common cause of paralysis, particularly in young men.

Just more than one third of all injuries to the spinal cord occur at the thoracic level,
most commonly at T12. Compromise to the thoracic spinal cord typically results in
paraplegia. Unlike paraplegia that resultas from compromise of the cauda equina
associated with lumbar spine injuries, the clinical findings are consistent with upper
motor neuron injury. However, lower limb paralysis is not the only impairment. The
thoracic spinal cord also segmentally innervates the intercostals muscles as well as
the upper and lower abdominal muscles. The intercostals muscles are innervated by
the T1 to T12 spinal segments. The upper abdominal muscles are innervated by the
T8 to T10 spinal segmentsm the T11 to T12 spinal segment innervate the lower
abdominal muscles.