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Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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In this Article

• What is cauda equina syndrome?
• What are the causes of cauda equina syndrome?
• What are the symptoms of cauda equina syndrome?
• How is cauda equina syndrome diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for cauda equina syndrome?
• Can cauda equina syndrome be prevented?
• What is the outlook (prognosis) for cauda equina syndrome?
• Cauda Equina Syndrome At A Glance
• Patient Comments: Cauda Equina Syndrome - Symptoms
• Cauda Equina Syndrome Index

Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency. Compression of the spinal nerves of the spinal cord can lead to permanent dysfunction of the lower extremities, bladder, and bowels. Once the precise cause of cauda equina syndrome is determined (see above), generally aggressive operative intervention with surgical decompression is initiated. If infection is present, antibiotics are given, usually intravenously. If a tumor is responsible for compression, after surgical decompression, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be needed.

The long-term management of cauda equina syndrome depends on whether or not there are persisting symptoms after surgical decompression of the irritated nerve tissue. This can require pain medicine, physical therapy, supportive braces, urinary catheters, and other treatments etc. until optimal nerve and muscle recovery occurs.

Cauda equina syndrome occurs as a result of conditions which are not predictable and is therefore not a preventable syndrome. However, cauda equina syndrome caused by infections initiated by IV drug abuse can be prevented by not using illegal IV drugs.

Ultimately, the outlook for patients affected by cauda equina syndrome is determined by the extent of damage to involved nerve tissue. In general, the longer the duration of the compression of the spinal cord, the longer the recovery period and less likely complete recovery can occur.