Delay in Treating Spinal Injuries

Anyone who has a spinal injury must be given urgent treatment. If there is a delay, the patient will be at risk of sustaining serious long-term complications.

Urgent treatment for spinal injuries

Spinal injuries are always extremely worrying and medical professionals must take care to follow the correct course of action. There should not be any hesitation in providing treatment, as this could result in permanent injury.

For example, if the spine is pressing upon the cauda equina nerves based at the bottom of the spinal column, decompression surgery must be provided immediately. If this is not done, the nerves will become damaged and begin to lose function. This will cause a patient to develop neurological symptoms, including:

• Difficulty emptying the bladder;
• Back and leg pain;
• Numbness in the genital and buttocks;
• Sexual dysfunction.

When a patient develops these symptoms because of nerve compression, he or she is said to have Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES). This is known to be a medical emergency, because if the nerves are compressed for too long, the damage will be so severe the injury will be permanent. A patient will subsequently be left with life-long complications.

Was treatment for your spinal injury delayed?

If this has happened to you, you need to consider why treatment for your spinal injury was delayed. If it was the fault of medical professionals, you could be entitled to compensation.

For example, if doctors failed to make a timely diagnosis, or failed to appreciate the need to perform emergency treatment, the standard of care may well be considered negligent. This means that medical professionals did not provided an acceptable level of care, in turn causing you to suffer an injury.

Speak to a solicitor about your treatment

To find out whether you have been the victim of medical negligence, you need to talk to a solicitor. At the Cauda Equina Solicitors we are specialists in cauda equina claims, and will be able to advise you whether your spinal injury was negligently managed.

If so, we will help you to make a claim for compensation, fighting on your behalf to ensure you receive the financial redress to which you are legally entitled. This will compensate for the pain and suffering you have wrongfully endured, and for the financial loss you have incurred because of your injury. This will help to support you during this difficult time.

For more information about making a medical negligence claim, contact us today at the Cauda Equina Solicitors.

Please call us free on 0800 234 3300, from a mobile click to call 01275 334030 or complete our Free Online Enquiry for a no cost, no obligation opinion.

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