Cauda Equina Syndrome
Cauda equina is very rare and can be life changing if it goes undiagnosed. If spotted early, a patient suffering with the syndrome can have either a lumbar microdiscectomy or lumbar laminectomy which will decompress the spine and release the trapped nerves.
However, sometimes medical professional don’t spot symptoms and you can be left suffering, if this has happened to you or a loved one, you may have a claim.
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What is Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare and serious condition where the sensory and motor nerves running through the muscles of the legs, buttocks, bladder, bowel and genitals become damaged at the base of the spinal column. It can arise from compression through accidental injury, pressure from a prolapsed disc, or blood clot forming in the lumbar spine. Cauda equina syndrome can result in temporary or permanent symptoms depending on the degree of damage and whether or not the condition has developed.
Early detection of this condition is therefore crucial in minimising long term damage. The symptoms of Cauda equina syndrome are similar to that of many others and can therefore be easily misdiagnosed.
Cauda equina symptoms can include:
- Acute lower back pain
- Paralysis of or pain in one or both legs
- Bowel disturbance
- Difficulty passing urine
- Pain in the inside of your thighs
- Rectum pain (in the bowel and anus)
Who can suffer with it?
Cauda equina is very rare, with around 1 in 65,000 people suffering. It affects both males and females and it can be caused by a whole manner of different things. Some of the most common reason for people to suffer with the syndrome are:
- Birth abnormalities/defects.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis.
- Injuries to the lower back like from a car accident or gunshot wound.
- Herniated disk in the lumbar region. This is the most common cause.
- Postoperative lumbar spine surgery complications.
- Spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
- Spinal hemorrhages.
- Spinal infections (such as meningitis) or inflammation.
- Spinal lesions or tumors.
How is cauda equina treated?
Cauda equina syndrome caused the spine to become compress which leads to the trapping of nerves. To treat it, a patient will require decompression surgery known as a lumbar laminectomy or a lumbar microdiscectomy depending on the case. Lumbar laminectomies are commonly used for lower back pain, whereas microdiscectomies are more common for leg pain.
If you have been diagnosed, it is vital that you get immediate medical attention and surgery should be carried out within 24 to 48 hours of cauda equina syndrome diagnosis to prevent long-term damage.
If you are unable to have surgery, or your doctor has missed cauda equina symptoms, this could result in delayed diagnosis and you would have grounds for a medical negligence claim.
No Win No Fee
If you have been given the wrong blood type and have suffered an illness or injury because of this, it is normally considered to be negligent and a claim can be brought.
Youngs Law offer no win, no fee for all of our medical negligence claims, so if you don’t win your case and receive compensation, you don’t pay us a penny. We will also wait for any fee to be paid to us when you receive you compensation and not upon winning you case.
We are here to help
Our specialist team of medical negligence lawyers have many years experience in helping clients with complex Cauda Equina claims. Our clients choose us because we treat them and their case individually, working purely for individuals allows us to focus on the most important thing in you case – You!
We offer you free initial consultations and can act for you on a No Win No Fee basis, so if you’d like to speak with one of our medical negligence lawyers, fill out a contact form or call us on the number below.
