In this condition, nerves at the base of the spinal cord—the cauda equina, a spray of nerves resembling a horse’s tail— become compressed, causing symptoms such as back pain, bowel and bladder problems, numbness, leg weakness, and erectile dysfunction.
The cause is usually a disc herniation (slipped disc), but cauda equina syndrome may also sometimes be caused by infection, a spinal injury, or bone cancer. Urgent treatment is usually with emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on the affected nerves