2.8: Activity 7

Mapping Spinal Nerves and Their Associated Muscles

The objective of this lab activity is to map the spinal nerves and their corresponding muscle groups, enhancing students' understanding of how these nerves contribute to muscle innervation and movement. By identifying relationships between specific spinal nerves and muscle actions, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the neuromuscular system.

Instructions

• Review resources to activate prior knowledge on spinal nerves and their anatomical pathways to innervate major muscle groups innervated by each spinal nerve.
• Examine the diagrams, focusing on the pathways of spinal nerves from the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions.
• Pick up the full body spinal cord model and identify the spinal nerves indicated in the figures. For each identified spinal nerve, relate to the nerve plexus and list one or two skeletal muscles that it innervates.
• Verify your mappings and descriptions with peers or reference materials to ensure accuracy.
• Discuss any discrepancies or uncertainties with your instructor or classmates for clarification.
• Use Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) to complete the Tables \(\PageIndex{1}\) and \(\PageIndex{2}\) by matching each label (letter) to the correct structure name.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) contains two anatomical diagrams used for a labeling activity on the peripheral nervous system. Layout of the figure:

• Left diagram: Upper body view showing nerves of the neck, shoulder, arm, and hand. 
• Right diagram: Lower body view focused on nerves of the pelvis, thigh, leg, and foot.