Cauda Equina Syndrome (cont.)

Cauda Equina Syndrome Symptoms

Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome include the following:

• Low back pain
  
  
• Pain in one leg (unilateral) or both legs (bilateral) that starts in the buttocks and travels down the back of the thighs and legs (sciatica)
  
  
• Numbness in the groin or area of contact if sitting on a saddle (perineal or saddle paresthesia)
  
  
• Bowel and bladder disturbances
  
  
• Lower extremity muscle weakness and loss of sensations
  
  
• Reduced or absent lower extremity reflexes

Low back pain can be divided into local and radicular pain.

• Local pain is generally a deep, aching pain resulting from soft tissue and vertebral body irritation.
  
  
• Leg pain (radicular pain) is generally a sharp, stabbing pain resulting from compression of the nerve roots. Radicular pain projects along the specific areas controlled by the compressed nerve (known as a dermatomal distribution).

Bladder disturbance (urinary manifestations) related to cauda equina syndrome include the following:

• Inability to urinate (urinary retention)
  
  
• Difficulty initiating urination (urinary hesitancy)
  
  
• Decreased sensation when urinating (decreased urethral sensation)
  
  
• Inability to stop or control urination (incontinence)

Bowel disturbances may include the following:

• Inability to stop or feel a bowel movement (incontinence)
  
  
• Constipation
  
  
• Loss of anal tone and sensation

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