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By Jeffrey Peebles, M.D. – Southlake MedicalbrDirector, CompletebrCare
Most of the time, back pain isbra condition that, while troublesome, does not pose any sort of risk ofbrlife-altering consequences. There are rare instances, however, where certainbrsymptoms can be a sign of a serious issue that will require immediate medical attention. These are just a few of them.
Leg Weakness/Loss of Bowel or Bladder Control
These are symptoms of abrpotential emergency that must be checked out as quickly as possible. The reasonbris that they could be a sign of cauda equine syndrome, or a severe compressionbrof lower spine nerves. If you have difficult walking due to numbness orbrweakness in your legs or you have sudden incontinence, please do not hesitatebrto get to a doctor. If this problem is left untreated, paralysis could bebrpossible.
Sudden Weight Loss
If you have back discomfortbrand suddenly begin to lose more than five pounds a week for two weeks, or youbrlose your appetite for even your favorite foods, then you need to see a doctor.brThese could be signs that you have developed a spinal tumor that could bebrcancerous. If you have back pain accompanied by numbness in your extremities,brpain that gets worse at night, or fever or vomiting, get to your nearest emergency medical facility.
Sustained Fever and Increasing Pain
If you have a sustainedbrtemperature of 101° F or higher and severe back pain, that might indicate somebrsort of spinal infection is occurring. This is a rare problem that can lead tobran abscess that presses on nerves in the spine, and could eventually result inbrtotal paralysis.
A spinal infection willbrtypically occur after surgery or a medical procedure such as a colonoscopy.brOnly about 1 percent of surgical patients suffer this problem, and the majoritybrof them are either diabetics or otherwise in poor health. An infection of thebrvertebra can sometimes occur after a dental procedure, a colonoscopy or afterbrlong-term steroid use to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Again, the chances that yourbrback pain is a sign of a potentially severe problem are extremely small.brHowever, you cannot ignore other symptoms that are associated with yourbrdiscomfort. Stay on the safe side and speak to your doctor if you are worriedbrfor any reason.
If you or someone in your home is experiencing severebrback pain, or you ever experience any kind of medical emergency, get in touchbrwith the experts at Complete Care. Contact us online to learnbrmore.
Dr. Jeffrey Peebles, M.D. has an extensive amount ofbrexperience in delivering advanced emergency care. He is board certified withbrthe American Board of Emergency Medicine, and a member of the American College ofbrEmergency Physicians/Texas College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Peebles isbrcommitted to providing timely, affordable and high-quality medical care to thebrSouthlake community.