General Enquiries 03455 211 811
Support Helpline 03455 211 300
Fundraising 03455 211 600

What is Spina Bifida?

Spina Bifida is a fault in the spinal column in which one or more veterbrae (the bones which form the backbone) fail to form properly, leaving a gap or split, causing damage to the nervous system.

To help understand Spina Bifida in detail it is necessary to know the composition of the nervous system.

The Central Nervous System

The central nervous system and spine develop between the 14th and 23rd day after conception. It consists of the brain and the spinal cord. All activities are controlled by the brain which receives information from touching, seeing, feeling, tasting and hearing - responding to this information by initiating the appropriate movements of different parts of the body. Messages from the brain are carried to different parts of the body by the spinal cord which runs down the centre of the spinal column. This communication system for the body is very important and needs protection.

The Spine

The spine is made up of 33 bones or vertebrae. The vertebrae have two main functions. One is to provide anchorage for muscles so that we can move as messages from the brain are sent to those muscles. The other is to provide protection to the spinal cord.

The Neural Tube

The central nervous system and spine develops between the 14th and 23rd day after conception. Spina bifida occurs when the neural tube fails to close correctly. The vertebrae also fail to close in complete rings around the affected portion of the spinal cord. This leaves a gap at the back, involving one or more vertebrae. The fault may occur in one or more of the vertebrae but it is most common around waist-level.

Spina Bifida is one of a range of conditions all included under the umbrella term of "Neural Tube Defects".

The information in this section is available in a leaflet, “What is Spina Bifida”. This may be downloaded in PDF format from our library.

Support us

Because of you we provide a lifetime commitment of support. Please continue to support us or donate today. Thank you.

Make a donation

Our latest news

Hospital Saturday Fund donate £14,000 to SBH Scotland
Hospital Saturday Fund donate £14,000 to SBH Scotland25 Scottish charities received donations in February

Brave Mum's Prove Sky's the Limit for Charity Supporting their Children
“If my son can overcome brain surgeries and daily headaches then I knew I could jump out the sky for 5 minutes to raise awareness and money for a good cause.”

Local family announces the return of their sparkling fundraiser to raise vital funds for SBH Scotland
Time to get tickets for a sparkling dinner in the North!

More news
Follow @SBHScotland on Twitter

SBH Scotland on Facebook

Our newsletter

We’d like to keep you up-to-date with information on our charity.

Sign up here for our newsletters.

* indicates required

Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at communications@sbhscotland.org.uk. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Loading