Spinal nerve compression symptoms include pain, altered sensations, muscle weakness or dysfunction, and even gait abnormalities. These symptoms can be caused by a wide variety of conditions. In some of these, such as in cervical spinal stenosis that leads to cervical myelopathy, you may feel symptoms in the arms, hands, legs or feet, and/or have balance problems, or even incontinence issues (bowel dysfunction, unexpected need to urinate, etc.). A rapid onset of these symptoms can indicate a condition known as cauda equina syndrome, which can cause paralysis and other serious problems if not addressed in a timely manner.