What are spinal nerve roots?

A nerve root in the spine is the part of the nerve that branches off from the spinal cord and enters into the intervertebral foramen (bony opening between adjacent vertebrae).

What do the roots of spinal nerves consist of?

Each spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, formed from the combination of nerve fibers from its dorsal and ventral roots. The dorsal root is the afferent sensory root and carries sensory information to the brain. The ventral root is the efferent motor root and carries motor information from the brain.

How many nerve roots are in the spine?

These discs act as shock absorbers for the spinal bones. Ligaments attached to the vertebrae also serve as supportive structures. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves and roots. Eight pairs of cervical nerves exit the cervical cord at each vertebral level.

What is the anatomy of spinal nerves?

Structure. The spinal nerves are relatively large nerves that are formed by the merging of a sensory nerve root and a motor nerve root. These nerve roots emerge directly from the spinal cord—sensory nerve roots from the back of the spinal cord and the motor nerve roots from the front of the spinal cord.

What are the two roots of a spinal nerve?

Each spinal nerve is attached to the spinal cord through the dorsal (sensory) root and ventral (motor) root.

Does nerve root compression require surgery?

Nerve root compression can range from mild to severe. Mild nerve root compression may not require surgical treatment and may be appropriately treated with medications and other conservative measures.

Is nerve root compression serious?

Nerve root compression that is severe enough to cause weakness in the arms or legs requires prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment because compression leads to death of the nerve cells and can permanently affect the function of the sensory and motor nerves downstream from the point of compression.