Man Left Paralysed After Suffering With ‘Back Pain’ & May Never Walk Again

The Sun has recently reported on a man who woke up unable to use his leg after going to bed with severe back pain before becoming completely paralysed.

Marc Burrows, 46, had been struggling with back pain for weeks. After having gone to the doctors, he was sent away with strong painkillers. He carried on working, but within weeks woke up unable to use his left leg, both legs then became paralysed with doctors saying he might never walk again.

An MRI scan revealed Marc had a narrowing of the spine, which can then put pressure on the nerves, also known as spinal stenosis.

Marc’s Wife, Nicola said:

This case illustrates how devastating spinal stenosis can be and the long-term impact it can have.

What is spinal stenosis?

As noted above, spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower part of a person’s back, putting pressure on the spinal cord or the nerves that go from the spinal cord to the muscles.

Spinal stenosis can happen in any part of your spine but is most common in the lower back.

Those who have spinal stenosis may have issues:

How do you recognise spinal stenosis?

Due to spinal stenosis being a rare condition, it can sometimes be hard to recognise having it as a lot of the time people who have leg pain don’t think anything of it as it’s quite common and usually goes away without surgery. Similarly, back pain can often be nothing but a minor inconvenience. In fact, according to experts, 50% to 80% of people will experience at least one episode of back pain in their lives.

Although early treatment is required to prevent permanent problems, spinal stenosis can be difficult to diagnose. Symptoms vary in intensity and may evolve slowly over time.

Symptoms of spinal stenosis

The condition is typically accompanied by a variety of medical symptoms and the severity of these symptoms will be dependent on the degree of compression and the precise nerves that have been compressed.

Red flag symptoms include:

The symptoms usually start suddenly and progress quickly although in some cases the symptoms can start slowly.

Pressure on the nerves in the lumbar area can also lead to a more serious condition, known as cauda equine syndrome. Urgent medical attention is needed if someone starts having the following symptoms:

Why is it important to act quickly with cauda equine syndrome?

The best chance of making a full recovery from cauda equine syndrome will happen if patients receive surgery within 24 hours of the onset of those red flag symptoms. After that 24-hour window passes, the longer the symptoms are then left the worse the likely outcome will be and the more permanent damage is done, for example, being paralysed, like Marc now is. This is why it is essential to act quickly if you had any of those symptoms listed above, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Often patients suffering permanent damage will be unable to work, have poor mobility, be incontinent, and suffer from constant chronic pain.

Even with immediate treatment, some patients may not recover complete function. The best outcomes for individuals occur with earlier treatment, which is why it’s imperative to act quickly.

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If you think you have suffered a spinal injury as a result of a missed medical diagnosis or treatment then it is important that you speak to a spinal specialist medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible.