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Cauda equina syndrome

Syndroma caudae equinae · Syndrom kaudy ekviny

What it is

A big disc crushes the nerve-root bundle — surgical emergency measured in hours.

Symptoms & signs

  • Saddle numbness
  • urinary retention then overflow
  • bilateral leg weakness
  • loss of anal tone

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Numbness around the bottom, genitals or inner thighs
  • call 112 / 911 now Cannot pass urine, or leaking without noticing
  • call 112 / 911 now Loss of bowel control
  • call 112 / 911 now Weakness in both legs with back pain

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Emergency MRI and decompression within 24–48 h
  • catheterisation

Natural & lifestyle

  • None — this one is straight to hospital

Emerging & experimental

  • Intraoperative neuromonitoring protocols

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Pelvic-floor rehabilitation after surgery — helps bladder recovery early / small studies
  • Chiropractic manipulation — can worsen a massive disc; this needs surgery anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes