A spinal hematoma or epidural hematoma is a collection of blood that presses on the spinal cord or nearby nerves. Bleeding into the epidural space can be caused by an epidural injection, back trauma, lumbar puncture, anticoagulant medication, traumatic fall or a catastrophic injury or accident.
Symptoms of a spinal hematoma may begin with local or radicular back pain and pain on palpation. It may lead to lower extremity muscle weakness and loss of bowel or bladder control. If it progresses to full compression of the lumbar spinal nerve roots it may cause cauda equine syndrome, paralysis and paraplegia.
If the spinal compression is diagnosed and treated before the nerve pathways are destroyed, medical treatment may prevent permanent nerve damage to the spinal cord.
If you or someone close to you developed a spinal hematoma that was not properly diagnosed and treated, please feel free to call us at 800-243-1100 to speak with one of our experienced spinal cord injury lawyers.
