Why does breaking your neck cause you to die?
In: Biology
Your respiratory control centres are in your brain stem. If the fracture causes damage to the spinal cord, the signals to make you breath can’t make it through. Therefore, you won’t breath.
There is a saying: “C5 to stay alive”. If there is spinal cord damage above level C5 you will most likely die. Below C5 you have a chance as the phrenic nerve can still bring signals down to the diaphragm and allow you to breathe a little even with the other chest wall muscles paralyzed.
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