Why is severe damage to the neck region often fatal??

Question

Why is severe damage to the neck region often fatal??

Answer 1

certain vertebreas can be damaged... I'm not quite sure anymore on which ones

Damages to A could cause paralysis hips down.

to B could cause paralysis neck down.

and yes a certain verterbrea C of the neck could cause death.

Scary huh?

Answer 2

nerves that control breathing are cut, so the muscles needed to breath do not work.

Answer 3

Because there are major arteries and cutting them can produce massive hemorrhage, and since the brain is not getting oxygen, brain death. If the spinal cord is damaged, the nerves that stimulate breathing can be damage, resulting in respiratory arrest and death, in short order. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

because blood supply to the brain goes through the neck, air to the lungs goes through the neck, and nerves from the brain to one's organs and the rest of the body also go through the neck.

Answer 5

The neck is a special area of the body in that it contains a collection of very important structures--blood vessels, airway, and the spinal cord--which connect the head to the rest of the body, feeding the brain and allowing it to tell the rest of the body what to do.

In order to allow the most versatility, the body has evolved to make this important structure thinner, with less insulation (fat, muscle), less protection (bone), and lots more mobility.  This lack of protection and support make injuries very common.

Answer 6

The Phrenic nerves, supply to the diaphragm, come off at about C5.  Above C5, no intercostal muscles, no diaphragm------>no breathing.  Too, the carotid and vertebral arteries, the supply to the brain, are in the neck. Hanging severes the cord above C5,as well as shutting off circulation to the brain.