An epidural abscess results in a pocket of pus that builds up and causes swelling. It can press against your bones and the membranes that protect your spinal cord and your brain (meninges). This swelling and the underlying infection can affect sensations and physical movement and can cause other problems.
Typically, the hematoma is asymptomatic, but in rare cases it will compress the spinal cord, with potentially devastating neurological consequences. These symptoms include sensory disruption, bowel and bladder incontinence, motor weakness, or, in severe cases, complete paralysis of the affected limbs.
There's a common belief that getting an epidural will lead to back pain, but it's very rare for an epidural to cause long-term or chronic back problems. It's normal to experience temporary back pain or tenderness at the site of your epidural. This usually goes away within a few days.
The first clinical symptom of spinal epidural hematoma, in most of the cases, is sudden backpain or radicular pain, depending on the location of the bleeding. After hours to days of initiation of symptoms this insidiously progresses to a complete or partial paraplegia or even quadriplegia.
Muscle spasms may also occur because of an epidural. Back pain and other symptoms after an epidural are usually temporary and should resolve on their own within a few days or weeks after the procedure. If back pain and other symptoms persist or become severe, you should seek medical attention.
Temporary nerve damage
The needle or epidural tube can damage nerves, but this is uncommon. Nerve damage can cause loss of feeling or movement in parts of your lower body. The most common symptom is a small, numb area with normal movement and strength.
The pain should get better within ten days of the epidural, but you may notice a reduction within one to five days. According to Spine-Health, more than 50 percent of patients who receive a lumbar epidural steroid injection experience at least some pain relief. Spine-Health also cites a 1998 study by Lutz et al.
In adults, most recovery occurs in the first 6 months. Usually there is some improvement over 2 years. If there is brain damage, full recovery isn't likely.
Epidural hematoma (EDH) is a traumatic accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and the stripped-off dural membrane. EDH results from traumatic head injury, usually with associated skull fracture and arterial laceration.
A spinal subdural or epidural hematoma is an accumulation of blood in the subdural or epidural space that can mechanically compress the spinal cord. Diagnosis is by MRI or, if not immediately available, by CT myelography. Treatment is with immediate surgical drainage. (See also Overview of Spinal Cord Disorders.
Reports of new-onset backache after epidural anesthesia vary from 2% to 31%. [1]The most common causes of back pain after regional anesthesia are thought to include ligamentous trauma, reflex paraspinous muscle spasm, or ligamentous strain during patient positioning secondary to skeletal muscle relaxation.
Potential side effects of an epidural may include headache, soreness, urination problems, and a decrease in blood pressure. While long-term complications are extremely rare, they may result in permanent nerve damage and persistent numbness and tingling.
If you or a loved one has suffered pain, paralysis, or any other medical condition after receiving an epidural injection, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
A spinal hematoma is a collection of blood that compresses the spinal cord and nerve roots. Significant compression of the spinal cord can result in irreversible neurologic damage. Symptoms may include pain, weakness, numbness, difficulty walking, loss of bowel and/or bladder control, or paralysis.
If the hematoma symptoms are severe or if it continues to expand over the course of a few days, you should visit your doctor right away. Emergency medicine, urgent care, primary care physicians frequently care for patients with hematomas. A primary care doctor can diagnose a soft tissue hematoma in a physical exam.
Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) manifests from blood accumulating in the epidural space, compressing the spinal cord and leading to acute neurological deficits. Standard therapy is decompressive laminectomy, although spontaneous recoveries have been reported.
Medical personnel typically use computed tomography (CT) brain scans to diagnose an EDH, which appears as a dense mass that pushes the brain away from the skull. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan can also diagnose an EDH, although CT is faster and more commonly used for evaluating trauma patients.
An epidural hematoma (EDH) can be a life-threatening condition. It usually requires immediate treatment or can cause brain damage or possibly death if left untreated. An EDH results in death in up to 15% of cases.
In most cases, surgical hematomas will heal on their own given enough time. However, they can potentially cause serious issues and should be examined by your surgeon.
Background. Spinal epidural hematomas usually occur under certain conditions; they rarely occur spontaneously. The prevalence of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is ~ 0.1 per 100,000, and the male-to-female ratio is approximately 1.4 to 1.
Avoid heat to the injection area for 72 hours. No hot packs, saunas, or steam rooms during this time. A regular shower is OK. You may immediately restart your regular medication regimen, including pain medications, anti-inflammatory, and blood thinners.
The risk of damage to nerves is between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 100,000. In many of these cases the symptoms improve or resolve within a few weeks or months. Nerve damage is a rare complication of spinal or epidural injection.
As mentioned earlier, epidural errors can lead to serious and long-term injuries. Possible injuries to the mother include a drop in blood pressure, nerve damage, paralysis, cardiac arrest, seizures, headaches, dizziness, and even death.
While epidurals may leave a mother with some soreness at the administration site for a few days or weeks, lasting or recurring back pain is not typical. It may occur, however, because of damage to the spine, nerves, or other structures.
Compression of the root nerve in the back is one of the few physical disorders of back pain that are counted as disability in the Blue Book of Impairments.