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Cauda Equina Claims
Reviewed by
Peter Rigby - Director of Medical Negligence
We've got your Cauda Equina Negligence Claim covered
- No win No fee
- Not just lawyers - real specialists
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- UK's highest-rated medical negligence solicitors
Cauda Equina Claims
Cauda Equina is a medical emergency and should be treated as quickly as possible. Any failings in diagnosis, treatment or care can be serious, with devastating consequences for victims and their families. You may be entitled to claim compensation if you or a loved one has suffered from Cauda Equina syndrome that could have been prevented.
Making a Cauda Equina Claim
The consequences of Cauda Equina can be life changing. We have a specialist injury team that will take on your case and get the compensation and support you need following medical mismanagement of Cauda Equina syndrome. Our medical negligence lawyers have over 30 years experience and will help you understand:
- If you have a medical negligence case
- How your Cauda equina diagnosis and treatment was mishandled
- The amount of compensation you could be entitled to
- What compensation can help you with for the future
- How the No Win No Fee Agreement works
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What is a Cauda Equina claim?
Medical negligence claims regarding Cauda Equina usually arise from negligent surgery and/or medical delays. The Cauda Equina is a group of nerves at the bottom end of your spine. Cauda Equina Syndrome occurs when these nerves are damaged through compression. Cauda Equina can start slowly with some lower back pain, or can come on very quickly. If Cauda Equina has a slow onset, your symptoms may have been dismissed or diagnosed as something else, allowing the condition to get worse. With a rapid onset, speed is key and treatment should begin as soon as possible. In either case, if your signs or symptoms were misdiagnosed, treatment was delayed or surgery was not carried out correctly, you could have a claim for Cauda Equina compensation.
Causes of Cauda Equina
The most common cause of Cauda Equina is a herniated disc. Other possible causes and red flags for Cauda Equina include;
- Narrowing of the spinal canal
- Lesions on the spine
- Malignant tumours on the spine
- Inflammation or an infection on the spine
- Genetic defects or defects caused during birth
- Inadequate spinal surgery or after care
We have helped many patients whose Cauda Equina occurred in relation to these common causes. Healthcare professionals have a duty of care and any signs and symptoms relating to these issues should be investigated properly to avoid Cauda Equina advancing.
Signs and symptoms of Cauda Equina
With Cauda Equina, some symptoms are referred to as ‘red flag symptoms’ because they give a clear sign that the Cauda Equina nerves are being decompressed, and should be acted on very quickly. Typical symptoms include:
- Severe lower back pain
- Leg weaknesses
- Saddle paraesthesia (a numb sensation between the legs, genitals or buttocks)
- Incontinence (the bladder or the bowel)
- Sexual dysfunction or loss of sexual sensation
The only way to confirm Cauda Equina syndrome is with an MRI scan. Ideally, it needs to be caught within a few hours followed by surgery to decompress the spine. GPs and consultants should be alert to these symptoms in order to act quickly.
You find further help and support to understand your Cauda Equina syndrome from Cauda Equina UK.
How do I know if I can make a claim?
We have helped hundreds of people claim compensation for Cauda Equina negligence. You are able to make a claim if any of the following occurred at any point during your Cauda Equina diagnosis or during surgery:
- Misdiagnosis of ‘red flag’ symptoms leading to the avoidable progression of the syndrome
- Inadequate surgery leading to permanent damage and ongoing operations.
- Failure to even receive decompression surgery
- Delayed treatment e.g. delayed MRI scans.
Cauda Equina patients can suffer from life-limiting disabilities such as incontinence or permanent pain, even if the medical treatment is good. As this condition is so serious, delayed or negligent treatment means that you could be entitled to claim compensation.
What can I expect?
It is estimated that compensation figures for Cauda Equina claims will reach £150m to £200m a year. The amount you will receive will depend on the impact on your daily life. Compensation is most often awarded for:
- Changes to your home to help with loss of mobility
- Additional household aids
- Cost of care eg. if you are no longer able to carry out tasks like shopping or housework.
- Loss of earnings if you can no longer work
- Physical therapy to aid recovery
- Sexual dysfunction and the effects of this on your life and wellbeing
- Emotional distress and suffering
Why choose us
Patient Claim Line has over 100 expert medical negligence lawyers based throughout the UK. We have the expertise and resources of an established company, but the compassion, care and friendliness of a local solicitor. We have helped thousands of patients make claims for negligent medical care and pursued compensation for those whose lives have changed because Cauda Equina syndrome was not caught or operated on early enough. We investigate every aspect of your claim to get you the maximum amount possible.
No Win No Fee Cauda Equina claims
Your initial consultation is completely free and there is no obligation to use Patient Claim Line for your claim. If you do decide to go ahead with your Cauda Equina claim, it will be completely No Win, No Fee so you don’t pay a penny upfront. Facing life after Cauda Equina can be a very difficult time for you and your loved ones. We do everything we can to make claiming compensation as stress free as possible and so unless we win, you don’t have to pay a thing.
Why Choose Patient Claim Line for your Cauda Equina Negligence Claim?
Not just lawyers — medical negligence experts
Patient Claim Line was established in 2014 and consists of a team of medical lawyers specialising in cancer negligence and general medical negligence claims.
At Patient Claim Line we have more than 100 solicitors with a combined experience of over 400 years and they will work on your behalf to achieve the best result possible for you.
It’s not enough to use a solicitor who sometimes covers medical negligence. You need someone who knows this area through and through. That is what the solicitors here at Patient Claim Line do. They deal exclusively in this area of law and are experts in the field.
Frequently asked questions about Cauda Equina Negligence Claims
Our expert legal team answer your questions about making a Cauda Equina Negligence Claim
To start your Cauda Equina claim, you will need to establish that what happened to you directly caused any negative effects. Expert medical negligence lawyers can help guide you through the process and tell you if you have grounds to make a claim. If you do, they will then take care of the whole claim for you, occasionally asking for information and evidence that will support your claim. If the other party admits liability you will not need to go to court and will be offered a final compensation settlement which both parties agree to.
An individual who has suffered from Cauda Equina syndrome, and experienced symptoms that were avoidable is able to make a claim. You are also able to make a claim on behalf of a loved one, if they are under 18 years of age, or if they lack the mental capacity to make the claim themselves.
Even if you do recover well from Cauda Equina syndrome, it can sometimes take several years for full function to return. If you do make a recovery, but still experienced medical negligence when suffering from Cauda Equina, such as having to undergo multiple operations after initial surgery went wrong, then you may still have grounds for a cauda equina compensation claim.
A claim for medical negligence generally must be made within three years from the date you became aware that you suffered from Cauda Equina syndrome through the negligence of a medical professional or institution. This is known as the “date of knowledge”.
There are certain exceptions to this time limit which are important to discuss with a legal advisor. For example, the time limit for claims relating to children under the age of 18 runs three years from their 18th birthday. This means that they would have until their 21st birthday to make a claim.
If the person affected does not have the mental capacity to proceed with a claim or recognise that they have suffered medical negligence, there can be no time limit unless the individual regains capacity.
Meet our Cauda Equina Negligence Team
Case Study
Sarah's Story
"Now we have peace of mind"
My husband, Nick, went back and forth to the doctors for a long time and tried everything the doctor recommended. But his illness got worse, to the point that he was in agony.
In the end we got so desperate that we asked for a referral. The doctor was reluctant, so we had to consult a private hospital. That’s when we found out there was a tumour. It took years from the onset of his illness to finally start cancer treatment.
He used to be a man with a lot to live for, but in the end he was in so much pain that he withdrew from the family. He became angry that nobody had helped him sooner, and the legal team were able to give him the validation that he was desperately seeking. The NHS confirmed if they had done more, Nick would still be alive today.
