Symptoms of Nerve Damage from a Spinal Epidural

During a spinal epidural, a fine catheter tube is introduced through a needle in the patient's back to provide local anesthetic. The needle is moved into the epidural space, an area between the bone and dura which contains fat, lymphatics, veins and spinal nerve roots. Nerve damage from these procedures is rare.

Temporary Damage

Most people who experience any nerve damage from a spinal epidural recover completely within a few weeks or sooner.

Mild Symptoms

The mildest form creates a small area of numbness, or a tingly or painful feeling somewhere on the skin, which disappears over time.

Additional Temporary Symptom

Muscle weakness is another symptom of this temporary nerve damage resulting from a spinal epidural.

Serious Considerations

An epidural can cause a hematoma, which is a pool of blood from an injured blood vessel. Rarely, it can become large enough to compress the spinal nerves and cause dysfunction, resulting in temporary loss of control of the bowels or bladder.

Very Rare Damage

Very rare symptoms involve major nerve damage with permanent paralysis of one or both feet or legs, impotence, or urinary or bowel incontinence and loss of sexual function.

Resources

• Information on epidural inserts and an illustration