It was reported on BBC news this week that the failure to identify and treat the condition Cauda Equina is costing the NHS ‘hundreds of millions a year’.
Cauda Equina means ‘horse's tail’ in Latin and describes the spray of nerves that come off the bottom of the spinal cord and activate the bladder, bowel, sexual organs and legs. If a vertebral disc puts pressure on the nerves, urgent medical treatment to remove the pressure is critical.
However, the condition is rare with an incidence in the population thought to be between 1 in 33,000 to 1 in 100,000. CSP members Dr Susan Greenhalgh, Chris Mercer and Laura Finucane are specialists on this subject and have made a video which outlines the evidence for identifying and acting on this condition in the clinical setting.
They have also developed information cards (free to download) for use when a patients needs to seek emergency help. They have been translated into 28 different languages to make it accessible to more people.
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