What Is The Treatment For Cauda Equina Syndrome
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 , 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.
Treatment From A Gp For Utis That Keep Coming Back
If your UTI comes back after treatment, you may have a urine test and be prescribed different antibiotics.
Your doctor or nurse will also offer advice on how to prevent UTIs.
If you keep getting UTIs and regularly need treatment, a GP may give you a repeat prescription for antibiotics.
If you have been through the menopause, you may be offered a vaginal cream containing oestrogen.
Cauda Equina Syndrome Symptoms & Signs
Bowel Incontinence
Fecal incontinence can be defined as the unintentional loss of stool or gas . It is often due to a failure of one or more of the components that allow the body to control the evacuation of feces, when it is socially appropriate.
Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome include low back pain, numbness and/or tingling in the buttocks and lower extremities , weakness in the legs, and incontinence of bladder and/or bowels. The numbness of cauda equina syndrome typically is in the distribution of where the body would touch a saddle when sitting upon a horse, and is referred to as “saddle anesthesia.”
Partial cauda equina syndrome is the terminology that applies when there is incomplete compression of the nerves of the lower spinal cord. This can elicit various degrees and combinations of the symptoms listed above. With complete cauda equina syndrome, the array of symptoms listed above is commonplace.
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What Does My Spinal Cord Have To Do With My Bladder
- Your brain sends and receives signals through your spinal cord. At the lowest part of your spinal cord is an area called the sacral micturition center that has nerves attached to it that go to and from the bladder. These nerves help to signal the brain when the bladder needs to be emptied. They also control the sphincter.
- For example, if you need to hold your urine until a convenient time to empty your bladder, your brain will signal the bladder not to squeeze and the sphincter to tighten so that you can wait. When it is time to release your urine, signals from your brain will then send signals down your spinal cord to squeeze the bladder and relax the sphincter. If an SCI has damaged the spinal cord, the signals from the brain to the bladder do not work correctly and you might not be able to control your urine. You might not be able to stop urine from flowing , or you might not be able to release it .
When To Worry About Lower Right Back Pain
Its possible for even severe back pain to be confined to just one side of the back. When the pain is entirely on the lower right side, it may suggest a specific type of injury or illness, and its important to have it examined. Low back pain is also called lumbago or sciatica. Common characteristics of lower right back pain
There are 35 conditions associated with decreased urination, pain or discomfort , pain or discomfort and pain or discomfort .
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Kidney Pain Vs Back Pain: How To Differentiate
According to various data banks, the overall prevalence of low back pain was found to be 42% in India. Kidney problems too result in back pain which may be a little different from musculoskeletal back pain. In todays write up we will find out how to differentiate between the two.
Each person has got a pair of kidneys located posteriorly on the lower side of the abdomen. The kidney purifies blood for nutrients and discharges urine.
How to differentiate kidney pain from general backache:
Musculoskeletal back pain is usually felt around the lumbar region, it may pain while muscles are touched. However musculoskeletal back pain can be felt all through the back as well.
Musculoskeletal back pain due to disc or nerve impingement may radiate to buttocks, back of the thigh, laterally to leg and ankles too.
The musculoskeletal back pain is mostly coming and going, peaking after high-intensity work and better with rest. Pain here too is dull aching.
The musculoskeletal back pain is not very severe.
What Does The Research Say
Researchers are studying how back pain or back issues may affect or cause incontinence. So far, the research isnt clear. But, a few studies have shed some light into possible connections.
A Brazilian study published in 2015, explored the correlation between lower back pain and UI. However, this study was conducted in a population with an average age of 80. The results werent conclusive, and its possible the advanced age of study participants affected their urinary health.
In a 2015 study of women one year after giving birth, researchers found that back pain and UI are common. This study showed back pain is more common and more likely to interfere with a womans day-to-day life than UI.
Women who were obese, were an advanced maternal age, or had vaginal delivery during childbirth were more likely to experience symptoms of UI. The study found no connection between women who experienced back pain and their episodes of UI.
More research is needed to determine whether there is a substantive link between the two symptoms.
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Effects On Your Bladder
If your spinal cord is damaged, the ability for the signals to travel back and forth is impaired, resulting in bladder emptying problems.
There are different types of damage to the spinal cord. The higher up in the spinal cord an injury occurs, the more muscles are affected. In the case of paraplegia, the spinal cord is so damaged that the legs are affected. In the case of tetraplegia, both arms and legs are affected.
Complete spinal cord damage means that the spinal cord has been completely cut off. No signals can travel along it, which means that all feeling and ability to move is gone below the point of injury.
If the damage is incomplete, you experience a certain loss of the ability to control your muscles. But some signals will still go through. If you have some motor control in your hands and arms, you will most likely be able to choose self-catheterization as a bladder emptying option.
If you have an injury lower in your spinal cord at or below anatomic level of TH12/L1 you lose muscle tone in the bladder and sphincter. Due to the fact that this region is responsible for reflex bladder emptying, a complete injury results in areflexia of the detrusor .
A low spinal cord injury results in retention or incomplete emptying, urinary tract infections and incontinence. First line treatment is CIC.
It is also worth mentioning that recent studies indicate that up to 30% of those who lose control of their bladder, may regain function again some time after injury.
What Bladder Problems Can An Sci Cause
An SCI can cause two types of bladder problems. One set of problems occurs immediately after injury, and the other may begin later on after your injury when you are out of spinal shock
Immediately after SCI:
- You might experience spinal shock, when signals from the brain cant get to any or most parts of the body below the spinal cord injury.
- Spinal shock in general usually lasts for up to a few days, but for the bladder it can last several months or longer.
- Your bladder does not squeeze when you are in the period of spinal shock.
After your bladder is out of spinal shock:
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What Is A Urinary Tract Infection
A UTI happens when foreign bacteria enter one or more parts of the urinary system. This includes the bladder, urethra, or kidneys. Because women have a shorter urethra than men, women are more likely to get infected. Some men get UTIs, and risk increases with age. Doctors classify the infections in two ways. A lower UTI affects the urinary tract and bladder. An upper UTI spreads to the kidneys and can be serious if left unchecked.
What Are The Causes And Risk Factors For Back Pain And Incontinence
Certain risk factors increase your chances for experiencing symptoms of both back pain and incontinence. These risk factors include:
- Obesity: Carrying extra weight puts extra pressure on your back. Extra weight also increases pressure on your bladder and nearby muscles. This may lead to stress incontinence, and over time, the extra stress may weaken your bladder muscles.
- Age: Back pain becomes more common with age. Likewise, the muscles that affect bladder control lose strength as you grow older.
- Other diseases: Some conditions, such as arthritis and diabetes, can cause both back pain and incontinence. People with certain psychological conditions, such as anxiety and depression, are also more likely to experience back pain.
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Can You Have Lower Back Pain With Prostatitis
It can also increase pressure within the pelvis, causing pain within the lumbar region . However, for prostatitis to be the cause of your lower back pain, you more than likely are experiencing other symptoms of the condition, such as pelvic pain and urinary changes.
Symptoms associated with nighttime urination include overproduction of urine, urinating too frequently, and feeling the urgent need to urinate but producing little urine. Nighttime urination can cause problems. You cant feel rested when youre frequently using the restroom.
What Are The Causes Of Cauda Equina Syndrome
Cauda equina syndrome can be caused by any condition that results in direct irritation or pinching of the nerves at the end of the spinal cord. Causes of cauda equina syndrome include herniation of lumbar intervertebral discs, abnormal growths adjacent to the lower spinal cord, localized infection near the spinal cord causing pressure on the spinal cord in the low back.
Localized lumbar tumors that can lead to cauda equine syndrome include ependymomas, metastatic cancer, and Paget’s disease of bone. Localized infection near the spinal cord can be caused by staphylococcus bacteria, tuberculosis bacteria , and others.
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Treatment Options For Utis
Drinking water and cranberry juice are two common recommendations for lower UTIs. However, research has shown the methods to be inconclusive. Extra liquids make urination easier but do not treat the root cause. Speaking with a doctor is the first step. Doctors will then prescribe antibiotics. As bacteria could stay in the cells of the bladder, removing the infection can be difficult. However, when caught early, antibiotics can be effective.
Can Back Conditions Like Stenosis Cause Problems Like Incontinence And Urinary Urgency
Absent some sort of trauma, when someone starts developing back pain or numbness or tingling sensations in their lower limbs, lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the first things their physician will look for. Stenosis of the spine is the result of a narrowing within the spinal column that allows abnormal pressure to be placed on the nerves that run through the spine.
Spinal stenosis is yet another one of those conditions that has its risk factor increased with age. In fact, even though younger people are susceptible due to accidents and trauma, as well as inherited potential for diseases like scoliosis, most people who develop stenosis have passed their 50th birthday. Another aspect to growing older that so many of us look forward to is the prospect of bladder issues, such as incontinence, urinary urgency and other related issues. What a lot of people do not realize is that lumbar spinal stenosis and bladder issues may be related.
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When Nerve Damage Causes Bladder Problems: Neurogenic Bladder
Until a few short years ago, Rob, who is in his 80s, had been relatively free of health problems. He was an active guy, skiing and hiking in his beloved Washington State mountains. Husband, father and grandfather, he was living a happy retirement from Boeing Aircraft. Then what he thought was a small nagging problem was diagnosed as a complex medical problem.
When ongoing heartburn was keeping him awake at night, he went to a GI doctor for help. A scan showed Robs bladder was so enlarged it was pushing against his stomach, causing the heartburn. One doctor visit after another revealed more than one medical issue. Rob began a series of tests and surgeries to treat bladder cancer, prostate cancer and an aortic aneurysm.
His cancers were removed, but nerve damage from his surgery left Rob unable to fully empty his bladder. Today, he relies on using a straw-like tube, called a catheter, to help empty his bladder completely. Rob has neurogenic bladderand he isnt alone. Millions of Americans have this health issue. Neurogenic bladder is when a person lacks bladder control due to damage to the nerves carrying messages between the bladder and the brain. This damage may be the result of a spinal cord injury, an infection of the brain or spinal cord, heavy metal poisoning or diseases affecting the nerves, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease or diabetes. People born with problems of the spinal cord, such as spina bifida, are also at risk for neurogenic bladder.
When Is It A Medical Emergency
Part of the problem with sciatic nerve pain is that it can obscure other more serious conditions. For instance, a recent article in World Neurosurgery indicated that lumbar radiculopathy can mask tumors growing alongside the nerve. If pain persists when palpating the cleft between the buttocks, further scans may be necessary. Any abnormal readings on those scans may indicate the presence of tumors.
As mentioned above, sciatic nerve pain symptoms can include weakness along the legs, urinary problems, and/or incontinence. These may indicate a serious medical condition, particularly if they occur suddenly. The most likely culprit would be cauda equina syndrome, a severe compression of the bundle of nerves at the end of the spine. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons notes that cauda equina syndrome most commonly results from a massive herniated disc in the lumbar region. A single excessive strain or injury may cause a herniated disc. However, disc material degenerates naturally as a person ages, and the ligaments that hold it in place begin to weaken. As this degeneration progresses, a relatively minor strain or twisting movement can cause a disc to rupture.
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The Neck Bones Connected To The
Your neck contains several important structures, including but certainly not limited to the seven cervical vertebrae, the enclosed spinal cord, and the spinal canal.
The spinal canal is formed by the bones of your spine and protects your spinal cord, which is a big bundle of nerves that allows you to move, feel, and control important bodily functions like bladder and bowel control.
If any kind of damage occurs in this area, your bladder, among other organs, can be affected.
Can Lower Back Pain Cause Blood In Urine
Blood in the urine that accompanies severe lower back pain may indicate endometriosis, a common health condition that occurs in more than 11% of adolescent and adult females in the United States. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the endometrium the lining of the uterus grows in areas of the body outside of the uterus.
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Changes In Bladder Habits Or Symptoms Of Irritation
Bladder cancer can sometimes cause changes in urination, such as:
- Having to urinate more often than usual
- Pain or burning during urination
- Feeling as if you need to go right away, even when your bladder isn’t full
- Having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream
- Having to get up to urinate many times during the night
These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection , bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate . Still, its important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
Treatment For Lower Back Pain And Frequent Urination
Treatment for lower back pain thats accompanied by frequent urination is largely dependent on the cause. For example, antibiotics may be prescribed when an infection is present, and exercise may be recommended if weight loss is necessary or to strengthen the back muscles. Your doctor may also remove any abnormal tumors, abscesses, or growths.
Some causes of lower back pain and frequent urination arent preventable, but you can try and lower your risk by controlling factors that are. Regularly exercising, taking the necessary precautions or reducing your risk of urinary tract infections, and drinking plenty of water to flush out bacteria and toxins are all good tips for prevention.
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