Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency that calls for urgent surgical intervention.

If patients with cauda equina syndrome do not receive treatment quickly, adverse results can include paralysis, impaired bladder, and/or bowel control, difficulty walking, and/or other neurological and physical problems.

Patients should be aware that acute cauda equina syndrome that results in nerve damage is extremely rare.

Onset of Cauda Equina Syndrome

Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome can develop suddenly but may take weeks or months. The onset of the condition is often described using the following distinctions:

• • Acute onset is marked by a rapid development of symptoms that often includes severe low back pain and significant loss of bladder and bowel function. 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. Gradual onset usually typically includes partial or intermittent loss of bowel and bladder function, as well as recurring low back pain in combination with muscle weakness and numbness and bladder and/or bowel incontinence or dysfunction. Sciatica may also occur in one or both legs.