Myodural bridge

Continuing from my last post on the position of the spinal cord in the first two cervical vertebrae, another important aspect of this area is the Myodural bridge, Myo meaning muscle and dural meaning the membrane around the spinal cord, which means in the space between the atlas and axis (which as you can see is quite open) and the atlas and occiput, the musculature of the head has direct contact and connection with the dura of the spinal cord.

These are the only places in the body where the spinal cord is not directly protected by the skeleton. This is often the place the headpiece of the halter or bridle sits and is why a pull back injury can cause severe injury and take many years to fully heal as you can damage the spinal cord. It is also why this area is so sensitive to touch.