Many patients have a combination of back pain, leg pain, leg numbness and weakness. These symptoms can be distressing but you do not necessarily require emergency medical attention.
A rare but serious back condition, Cauda Equina Syndrome, can lead to permanent damage or disability and needs to be seen urgently in the nearest Emergency Room / A&E (not minor injuries).
Warning signs of Cauda Equina Syndrome are below:
- loss of feeling pins and needles between your inner thighs or genitals;
- numbness in or around your back passage or buttocks;
- altered feeling when using toilet paper to wipe yourself;
- increasing difficulty when you try to urinate;
- increasing difficulty when you try to stop or control your flow of urine;
- loss of sensation when you pass urine;
- leaking urine or recent need to use pads;
- not knowing when your bladder is either full or empty;
- inability to stop a bowel movement or leaking;
- loss of sensation when you pass a bowel motion;
- change in ability to achieve an erection or ejaculate;
- loss of sensation in genitals during sexual intercourse.
If you experience any single or combination of these symptoms, then you need to go urgently to the nearest Emergency Room / A&E (not minor injuries). You do not require an ambulance and are safe to travel by car. You should not drive yourself because of the potential for leg weakness.
Interactive pathway to help diagnose and treat Cauda Equina Syndrome without delay is now live