Cauda Equina Syndrome Treatment in New York
Our New York cauda equina syndrome specialists review your case as one team, because a fast, accurate evaluation protects the nerves.
What is cauda equina syndrome ?
The spinal cord ends in the upper part of your lower back. Below that, the nerves carry on as a loose bundle, named the cauda equina for its likeness to a horse’s tail. Cauda equina syndrome is compression of that bundle, not of the cord itself.
Those nerves control the legs, the bladder, the bowel, and feeling in the saddle area. Squeezing them produces a particular, recognisable set of symptoms. Spotting that pattern quickly, and confirming it, is what makes treatment work.
See how it is treated
Cauda equina syndrome symptoms
These symptoms tend to arrive together, and together they are a warning. Any of them means you should be seen the same day.
Numbness in the saddle area
Loss of feeling in the inner thighs, groin, and buttocks, sometimes noticed first when wiping or seated.
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Trouble starting to urinate, not feeling the urge, or losing control of the bladder or bowel entirely.
Weakness in both legs
A change that affects both legs at once, rather than one nerve route down a single leg.
Severe low back pain with symptoms on both sides
Severe low back pain alongside leg symptoms on both sides needs emergency care the same day.
What causes compression of the nerve bundle at the base of the spine ?
Several different problems can press on the whole nerve bundle, and each one is an emergency. Finding the cause quickly is what matters most.
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01
A massive disc herniation
A herniated disc far bigger than a routine one, pressing on the whole bundle. This is the most common cause.
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02
Severe spinal stenosis
A spinal canal narrowed so far that it compresses the whole nerve bundle, not just one root.
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03
Trauma to the lower spine
A fracture or dislocation in the lower back that shifts bone onto the nerves.
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04
Infection or a collection
An abscess, or a collection of blood or pus, pressing on the nerves and needing urgent drainage.
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05
Tumor, or trouble after previous surgery
A tumor, or compression that develops after earlier spine surgery or an epidural procedure. Both need immediate specialist review.
How is cauda equina syndrome diagnosed?
Exam and history
We check saddle sensation, leg strength, reflexes, and bladder function, and ask exactly when each symptom began.
Urgent imaging, at once
Nothing is deferred here. Where cauda equina syndrome is suspected, imaging happens urgently, and the discussion about treatment happens at the same time.
Two specialties on one case
A neurosurgeon and an orthopaedic spine surgeon read your MRI together, so the level, the cause, and the plan are agreed without delay.
A care plan you can follow
You and your family hear what is compressing the nerves, why it needs treating urgently, and what surgery involves, in plain words.
Cauda equina syndrome treatment, from conservative care to surgery
Cauda equina syndrome is a surgical emergency. Recovery is tied to how quickly pressure on the nerves is relieved, so evaluation and surgery move together.
Emergency evaluation
The non-surgical first steps, fast and all at once
- Immediate examination, including saddle sensation and bladder assessment.
- An urgent MRI to identify the level and the cause.
- Immediate surgical planning, without waiting for another appointment.
- Care for the bladder while the plan is arranged.
Urgent surgery to relieve the pressure
The effective treatment for active compression
- Urgent decompression to take pressure off the nerve bundle.
- Discectomy where a herniation is the cause.
- Wider decompression for severe stenosis.
- Drainage where infection or a collection is responsible, and stabilization where a fracture is involved.
When it cannot wait: sudden loss of bowel or bladder control, new numbness in the inner thighs or groin, or rapidly worsening weakness in both legs. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department now. For urgent but stable symptoms, call 914-303-6548, and we will make room quickly at the location nearest you.
Doctors who treat Cauda Equina Syndrome in New York
Our neurosurgeons and orthopaedic spine surgeons are ready to review these cases urgently, with academic-level training, for patients across the New York metro area.
Joshua Adjei, MD
Murat Cosar, MD
Marc Dyrszka, MD
M. Mehdi Kazmi, MD
Simon Morr, MD
John F. Morrison, MD
Debra Petrucci, MD
Nicholas Post, MD
Jay Reidler, MD
Yigal Samocha, MD
