What is Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare condition wherein a group of nerves at the base of the spine (known as the ‘cauda equina’ – Latin for ‘horse’s tail’ become compressed. This is usually due to damage to the discs in the area of the spine where the cauda equina is. The discs act as shock absorbers in the spine, but when they are damaged and spill out into the cauda equina, that bundle of nerves can become squashed. The cauda equina nerves connect to the lower parts of the body, controlling the bowel, bladder, sexual organs and lower limbs.
What Causes Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Cauda equina syndrome can result from traumatic accidents or medical conditions, such as:
- Crushed spine (e.g. a car accident or fall)
- Penetrating injury (e.g. a knife or gunshot wound)
- Arthritis
- Complications of spinal anaesthesia
- Mass lesion (e.g. a blood clot)
- Complications of cancer
- Side effects of medications
- Degenerative spinal changes
- A tumour in the lower spinal region
- Infection and/or inflammation of the lower spine
What Injuries Can Cauda Equina Syndrome Cause?
Cauda equina syndrome can lead to several short- or long-term injuries if not swiftly treated, including:
- Loss of feeling, or tingling, in the genital area
- Sexual dysfunction, such as the inability to have an erection
- Mobility problems, including difficulty walking or dragging feet
- Weakness and/or loss of sensation and/or pain down one leg
- Loss of reflexes and/or function in the ankle and/or toes
- Severe lower back pain
- Continence issues affecting the bowel and bladder, including the inability to urinate or hold in urine or stools
How Urgent is Cauda Equina Surgery?
Cauda equina surgery must be carried out urgently, as there is a critical period of up to 48 hours to treat the patient. The injuries listed above can become permanent if surgery is not undertaken quickly enough. The sooner surgery is performed, the greater the chance for a better recovery.
If a patient is quickly diagnosed and promptly receives surgery, then a full recovery is possible. However, a delay in diagnosis can lead to permanent disabilities that can have life-changing and financially devastating effects on the patient and their family. A patient may find they can no longer walk normally and have to use a stick or other aids. They may also become permanently incontinent and lose sexual function.
What are the Symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Cauda equina syndrome can come on after a patient has been suffering from back pain for some time. A doctor should not assume that new symptoms are part and parcel of a less severe health condition. We have listed symptoms that should alert a GP or other care providers to refer you to a hospital for urgent investigation:
- Loss of sensation in the genitals
- Loss of sensation around the anus
- Numb buttocks
- Bowel or bladder problems
- Loss of sensation in the lower limbs (that can also be accompanied by shooting pains)
- Loss of ankle movement
Cauda Equina Syndrome Compensation Claims
If you are suffering from cauda equina syndrome due to a delayed diagnosis or delayed surgery, you may be able to make a medical negligence cauda equina syndrome claim. Cauda equina can lead to permanent injuries, which can be highly distressing and life-changing in several ways. At Medical Solicitors, our expert team is here to help you with your cauda equina syndrome claim, supporting you every step of the way to claim the compensation you deserve.
What is a Cauda Equina Syndrome Claim?
A cauda equina syndrome claim will most likely come about where there has been a delay in diagnosis and/or a delay in surgery. Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency, and without a quick diagnosis and urgent medical treatment to relieve the pressure, there can be lifelong consequences. For example, a patient may suffer from a foot drop (difficulty lifting their foot or toes), lose function below the waist or even become paralysed from the waist down.
The impact of living with cauda equina syndrome, causing a loss of physical and sexual function, can be very traumatic. If cauda equina medical negligence can be proven, patients may be able to make a claim for physical disabilities, emotional distress, loss of income and more.
Do You Have a Cauda Equina Syndrome Claim?
If your cauda equina has happened because of something that should have been prevented, then you have a medical negligence claim. This will be against the healthcare provider who let you down.
It is common to hear complaints that patients visited their GP, a chiropractor, osteopath or the accident and emergency department, only to be turned away. In such cases, crucial opportunities are missed for earlier MRI imaging, which can be used to diagnose cauda equina syndrome. It is often the case that earlier scanning would have led to earlier surgery, which could have prevented a patient from suffering permanent disabilities.
How Is a Cauda Equina Medical Negligence Claim Calculated?
Although the compensation you receive from a successful cauda equina syndrome claim cannot give you back your normal physical function, it can compensate you for lost wages, now and in the future. It can also cover any additional help and support you may need, such as care and aids and equipment, immediately and in the years to come.
Cauda equina compensation is usually in large sums, given the life-changing disabilities that the delayed treatment of this syndrome causes. You can expect to receive anything up to £196,000 for general damages (the value of your injury), on top of any other reasonable financial losses. For detailed information about the value of cauda equina claims, please read our complete cauda equina compensation payouts guide.
How Long Do I Have to Make a Cauda Equina Medical Negligence Claim?
You have three years from the date of your negligent medical care or from the date you realised your treatment could have been negligent to begin your claim. As a result, it’s important to begin your cauda equina claim as soon as possible. However, there are exceptions to the medical negligence claim time limit, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. In some deserving cases, the courts will allow cases to proceed even though they may be years past the deadline.
Successful Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
At Medical Solicitors, we have a history of success with cauda equina claim. For example, one of our clients received £150,000 in an out-of-court settlement. This was to compensate for her cauda equina injuries after her delayed diagnosis, along with past and future financial losses.
Can Cauda Equina be Misdiagnosed?
Yes, cauda equina syndrome can be misdiagnosed, with devastating consequences. It is often misdiagnosed as sciatica, a relatively common and minor condition that often resolves itself in a matter of weeks. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed, whereas cauda equina syndrome occurs when the cauda equina nerves become compressed.
Similar symptoms include pain, tingling and/or numbness in the lower back area, as well as weakness in the legs. A key difference in symptoms is that patients with cauda equina will experience bladder and bowel dysfunction, as well as back pain and lower limb weakness.
Is Cauda Equina Syndrome a Permanent Disability?
Although cauda equina syndrome itself is not a permanent disability, without urgent treatment, the injuries you can sustain from cauda equina syndrome can result in permanent disability. For example, mobility and continence issues suffered as a result of cauda equina syndrome can be permanent.
Can You Work With Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Living with permanent cauda equina syndrome injuries means you may be unable to work. For example, mobility issues or permanent bladder issues may prevent you from working again. In this case, if you can demonstrate you suffered as a result of cauda equina medical negligence, you would likely be able to claim for loss of earnings.
Speak To a Cauda Equina Solicitor Today
If you believe you have a cauda equina medical negligence claim, get in touch with our team as soon as possible. Our friendly and compassionate cauda equina solicitors have years of experience helping clients to succeed with their claims.
Contact us for an informal, informative chat about your potential cauda equina syndrome claim, and we’ll provide you with free, no-obligation legal advice on how to best proceed. If we believe we can assist you, we will most likely offer you a No Win, No Fee Agreement (also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement). This means you have nothing to lose financially by contacting us.
Even if we cannot assist you with a cauda equina syndrome claim, our team will always try to recommend other services that may be helpful to you, such as social services and benefits advice.
We understand how difficult it must be to adjust to a new life as a result of cauda equina syndrome injuries. Rest assured that there are places you can turn to for support, whether you want to discuss your mental health, seek financial advice or connect with others who have endured a similar experience. For this information, please read our cauda equina syndrome support guide.
