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Sub-Category:

Neurological Syndromes

Number of Conditions: 1

Acute Back Pain (e.g., Cauda Equina Syndrome)

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Category: Miscellaneous Emergencies

Sub-category: Neurological Syndromes

Symptoms:
severe low back pain; saddle anesthesia; loss of bowel or bladder control; bilateral leg weakness or numbness; sciatica symptoms in both legs

Root Cause:
Compression of the cauda equina nerves, often due to a herniated disc, tumor, trauma, or infection.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical examination (checking for red flag symptoms), MRI of the lumbosacral spine, CT myelogram if MRI is unavailable.

Treatment:
Emergency surgical decompression (e.g., laminectomy, discectomy) within 24–48 hours of symptom onset to prevent permanent nerve damage.

Medications:
Pain management with NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen , naproxen ) or opioids (e.g., morphine ) for severe pain; corticosteroids (e.g., dexamethasone ) to reduce inflammation; antibiotics if caused by infection.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare, accounting for 2–6% of lumbar disc herniation cases; incidence is about 1 per 100,000 annually.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Spinal stenosis, severe lumbar disc herniation, trauma, spinal infections, tumors, previous back surgery.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good if treated promptly; delay in treatment can result in permanent bowel/bladder dysfunction and paralysis.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Permanent neurological deficits, chronic pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction.