Left untreated,
CES can result in permanent paralysis and incontinence
. Those experiencing any of the red flag symptoms should be evaluated by a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon as soon as possible. Prompt surgery is the best treatment for patients with CES.
Can cauda equina syndrome cause paralysis?
If patients with cauda equina syndrome do not seek immediate treatment to relieve the pressure,
it can result in permanent paralysis
, impaired bladder and/or bowel control, loss of sexual sensation, and other problems. Even with immediate treatment, some patients may not recover complete function.
Can cauda equina patients walk?
If patients with cauda equina syndrome do not receive treatment quickly,
adverse results
can include paralysis, impaired bladder, and/or bowel control, difficulty walking, and/or other neurological and physical problems.
What are the complications of cauda equina?
- Thromboembolic phenomena.
- Neurogenic bladder/bowel.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Pressure ulcers.
- Heterotopic ossification.
- Osteoporosis.
- Chronic neuropathic pain.
- Spasticity/contractures.
When should I worry about cauda equina syndrome?
If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor right away:
Severe low back pain
.
Pain
, numbness, or weakness in one or both legs that causes you to stumble or have trouble getting up from a chair.
Can you fully recover from cauda equina syndrome?
Although cauda equina syndrome is not a fatal condition, it can cause severe neurological damage. If the condition is not treated quickly enough, this damage may be irreversible, meaning
a patient will not make a full recovery
.
What is the best treatment for cauda equina syndrome?
Cauda equina syndrome is best treated with
decompression by a lumbar laminectomy
, but a lumbar microdiscectomy may be used given a patient’s unique situation. The patient will likely be kept in the hospital for a few days following the surgery to monitor recovery of motor and sensory function.
Can cauda equina be seen on MRI?
These symptoms should prompt medical practitioners to suspect cauda equina syndrome. However,
the only way a firm diagnosis can be achieved is with an MRI scan
.
What kind of doctor treats cauda equina?
Neurosurgeon or spinal surgeon
– who should treat cauda equina syndrome?
How does cauda equina start?
Cauda equina syndrome can present in 2 ways:
acute onset
, where the symptoms and signs occur rapidly, and insidious onset, where the condition begins as lower back pain and slowly progresses to bowel and urinary incontinence. Cauda equina syndrome is most commonly caused by compression from a lumbar herniated disc.
What happens if cauda equina is not treated?
If patients with cauda equina syndrome do not seek immediate treatment to relieve the pressure, it can result in
permanent paralysis
, impaired bladder and/or bowel control, loss of sexual sensation, and other problems. Even with immediate treatment, some patients may not recover complete function.
How fast does cauda equina progress?
Unlike most back problems that are longstanding or chronic, cauda equina is an acute event, like a stroke or heart attack. It most often develops rapidly,
within as few as 6 to 10 hours
.
At what level does cauda equina start?
The cauda equina is a group of nerves and nerve roots stemming from the distal end of the spinal cord, typically
levels L1-L5
and contains axons of nerves that give both motor and sensory innervation to the legs, bladder, anus, and perineum.
Can you recover from cauda equina without surgery?
Although cauda equina syndrome is not a fatal condition, it can cause severe neurological damage. If the condition is not treated quickly enough, this damage may be irreversible, meaning
a patient will not make a full recovery
.
What are the first signs of cauda equina?
- Urinary retention: the most common symptom. …
- Urinary and/or fecal incontinence. …
- “Saddle anethesia” sensory disturbance, which can involve the anus, genitals and buttock region.
- Weakness or paralysis of usually more than one nerve root. …
- Pain in the back and/or legs (also known as sciatica).
Can cauda equina cause death?
Cauda equina syndrome cannot cause death
. Nevertheless, it can cause a number of other tragic consequences if left untreated. This is because cauda equina syndrome happens when the cauda equina nerves are compressed, normally by something such as a slipped disc or tumour.
