Cauda Equina Claims Solicitors

You may be able to bring a cauda equina claim if a doctor or hospital failed to provide proper care, such as delaying diagnosis or treatment, and if such delays caused your condition to worsen or led to avoidable harm.

Compensation varies depending on the severity of injury, level of disability, impact on daily life, loss of earnings and future care needs. Each case is assessed individually via expert medical and financial evidence. Satchell Moran will help you collate evidence and give you guidance as to what type or level of compensation is plausible.

You can start by contacting our specialist cauda equina solicitors for an initial discussion. We will review your circumstances and advise whether you have a potential claim. If you are viable for compensation, the next steps will be clearly outlined by your dedicated lawyer.

Satchell Moran’s cauda equina claims are handled on a no-win, no-fee basis, meaning you do not need to pay any legal fees upfront.

In most cases, you have three years from the date you became aware of the injury. Exceptions may apply, such as if the claimant lacks mental capacity or if they are a child. Our experience cauda equina negligence solicitors can advise as to whether you are within the legal timeframe to make a claim or not. Contact us today to get started.

Delays in recognising symptoms, arranging urgent MRI scans or conducting emergency surgery can worsen nerve damage and may lead to a cauda equina claim.

Medical negligence in cauda equina cases may include failing to recognise key symptoms, carrying out an inadequate examination, delaying urgent hospital referrals, misreading scan results or failing to act quickly when cauda equina is suspected.

Symptoms may include:

• Severe lower back pain
• Sciatica in both legs
• Numbness in the saddle area
• Bladder or bowel problems
• Weakness or loss of feeling in the legs

Cauda equina incomplete is an early stage of the syndrome where nerve compression is present; however, some function remains. Symptoms may be partial but they can still worsen rapidly without treatment.

Cauda equina complete is the severe form of the condition where nerve damage is more advanced, often leading to permanent loss of bladder, bowel, sensory and motor function.

The typical diagnosis for cauda equina syndrome involves the doctors reviewing symptoms and performing a neurological examination. If the initial assessment flags any signs of cauda equina, no matter how severe, the patient should then be referred for an urgent MRI scan to confirm nerve compression and take the appropriate action.

Cauda equina is most commonly caused by a large slipped disc, but can also result from spinal injury, tumours, infection or narrowing of the spinal canal.

In the early stages, such as cauda equina incomplete, it will still be possible to walk. However, mobility will vary, and symptoms can quickly worsen without urgent care.

Emergency surgery can relieve pressure on the nerves and improve the outcome of cauda equina, but it does not always fully reverse damage, particularly if treatment is delayed or the syndrome has progressed.

Possible long-term effects of cauda equina syndrome include:

• Chronic pain
• Mobility issues
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Sexual dysfunction
• Paralysis