Are You Experiencing Numbness And Tingling In Your Legs? Learn More About Cauda Equina Syndrome

Health & Medical Blog

If you have been dealing with a ruptured disc in your lower back, you have probably experienced as lot of pain, especially when you walk a lot or sit too long in one position. You may have been going to a neurosurgeon and an orthopedic physician for a long time for managing the pain and immobility caused by a ruptured disc. However, if you suddenly begin to lose the feeling in your legs, you may assume it is because of the ruptured disc in your back causing it. You should know that while the ruptured disc is partially responsible for the numbness you are feeling, you could be suffering with a condition that exacerbates the problem you have with a ruptured disc. Learn more about a rare condition called cauda equina syndrome (CES).

Sustaining Injuries When You Have A Ruptured Disc

If you have fallen or had another type of accident since you were diagnosed with a ruptured disc, you could have caused CES to occur. CES happens when a ruptured disc or other kind of spinal anomaly, begins to exert pressure on the bundle of nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord, the cauda equine. A hard fall can trigger overwhelming pressure from the ruptured disc that causes numbness and tingling sensations starting in your buttocks and traveling all the way down your legs and into your feet. If you have been in a recent car accident, it could have caused an impact that created the same CES trigger for your ruptured disc. Bear in mind CES will cause a numbness that is like paralysis. CES can also cause the loss of bladder and bowel functioning, so seeking medical attention right away is advised as soon as you feel numbness traveling down your legs or you suddenly cannot move or feel them. In this way, you have greater chances of preventing permanent paralysis and loss of bladder and bowel control.

Your Options For Diagnosing And Treating CES

As soon as you arrive at your doctor's office, he or she will send you to the hospital or an imaging clinic for having an MRI scan done. If you endured persistent back pain in the past because of your ruptured disc, you are probably familiar with an MRI. Your doctor will be able to see if the cauda equine nerve bundle is being compressed. Surgery may be necessary to remove the bone or other type of tissue that is pressing on the cauda equine nerves.

Never wait if you experience loss of feeling in your legs, especially when you already have a ruptured disc. While CES is rare, it can happen and when it does, it could leave you permanently paralyzed and no longer in control of your bladder and bowels. Seek medical attention right away for any unusual sensations you may feel in back and legs.

For more information, contact local professionals like Omega Diagnostic Imaging PC.

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