The cauda equina, a horsetail is made of nerve roots from the lumbar spine. Symptoms include severe low back pain accompanied by leg pain, weakness, numbness, and bowel or bladder problems. True Cauda Equina Syndrome is rare, but it needs surgical intervention. Back to top Your Back Fractures Vertebrae break like other bones in the body. Spinal fractures can occur in traumatic injuries or degenerative changes.
Fractures often heal without surgery.
Operations are reserved for fractures that result in an unstable back with the possibility of spinal cord damage. Back to top Your Back Tumors Tumors, benign or malignant, can grow on spinal bones or nerves. Symptoms depend on the area of the spine affected and the extent to which spinal nerves are compromised. Treatment is dependent on the type, size and location of the tumor. Surgery is indicated when spinal nerves are compromised or there is concern that the tumor may spread.