The earliest signs that you may be developing cauda equina syndrome could be lower back and leg pain, combined with increasing loss of sensation and function in the legs . This may start with one leg and spread to the other.
How do you rule out cauda equina?
A patient who complains of severe leg weakness, numbness in the genital area, or loss of bladder or bowel function will undergo an MRI scan to reveal the extent to which the herniation is compressing the spinal nerves. The doctor may also order a CT scan or a myelogram.
How do you know if you have cauda equina?
Cauda equina syndrome
sciatica on both sides . weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse . numbness around or under your genitals , or around your anus. finding it hard to start peeing, can’t pee or can’t control when you pee – and this isn’t normal for you.
How long does it take to develop cauda equina?
Onset of Cauda Equina Syndrome
In an acute onset, sensory and motor deficits in the lower body typically develop within 24 hours . Gradual onset can develop over progressively, and symptoms may come and go over the course of several weeks or months.
What is the most common cause of cauda equina syndrome?
These are the most common causes of cauda equina syndrome: A severe ruptured disk in the lumbar area (the most common cause) Narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis) A spinal lesion or malignant tumor.
What do you do if you suspect cauda equina?
Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency that must be treated with immediate surgical decompression . Therefore you must go to hospital as soon as you develop the red flag symptoms of cauda equina syndrome.
Can you have cauda equina and not know?
Since one of the factors that can bring on cauda equina is long-term compression, is it possible to not know that you’re living with it? Well, yes and no . You’ll likely be aware of the symptoms of another spinal condition that crowds the spinal canal before cauda equina syndrome materializes.
When should you suspect cauda equina syndrome?
‘A patient presenting with acute back pain and/or leg pain with a suggestion of a disturbance of their bladder or bowel function and/or saddle sensory disturbance should be suspected of having a CES. Most of these patients will not have critical compression of the cauda equina.
Can cauda equina be seen on MRI?
Due to its ability to depict the soft tissues, MRI generally has been the favored imaging study for assisting the physician in the diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. Urgent MRI is recommended for all patients who have new-onset urinary symptoms with associated back pain or sciatica.
What kind of doctor treats cauda equina?
Neurosurgery/spinal orthopedics consultation should assess the need for urgent surgical spinal decompression.
Can cauda equina be mild?
When symptoms do occur, they may vary from mild and intermittent discomfort in the legs to severe and disabling leg symptoms including sensory and sometimes motor dysfunction (Kalichman et al., 2009; Genevay and Atlas, 2010).
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.
How long can cauda equina last?
The pattern of recovery was quite varied in our group of patients with the most common pattern being motor followed by bowel and bladder followed by sensory recovery. The duration of recovery (for patients with total and near total) ranged from 4 to 32 months with a mean of 13.5 months.
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 go away on its own?
If you are suffering from Cauda equina Syndrome, you may well want to know the answer to the question “Can cauda equina symstpoms come and go?”. The short answer is that cauda equina can develop very suddenly, or it can develop very gradually with symptoms appearing to come and go.
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.
