Here a fracture of the T11/T12 vertebra has damaged the spinal cord at the level of the 5th Lumbar nerve. This means that the cord below the injury level still has its spinal reflexes particularly to the bladder and rectum. The legs however remain paralysed as the peripheral nerves from L1 to S2 are damaged and so the muscles receive no nerve impulses from the spinal cord and are therefore flaccid.