Pain emergency warning signs
Most pain can wait for an appointment. This short list cannot wait for anything.
These symptoms are emergencies: new weakness in an arm or leg, numbness across the saddle area, loss of bladder or bowel control, severe pain after significant trauma, new severe back pain with fever, cancer, recent infection or injection drug use, and a sudden severe headache unlike any before.
If a client reports any of the following, they need an emergency department now, not a referral. Tell them plainly, and do not wait for a call back from this or any other office.
Go to an emergency department now
THESE ARE EMERGENCIES
- New weakness in a leg or arm, particularly if it is worsening.
- Numbness across the saddle area — the inner thighs, buttocks or genitals.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, or new difficulty starting urination.
- Severe pain after significant trauma, especially with any neurological change.
- Fever with new severe back pain, or new severe back pain in someone with cancer, recent infection, or who injects drugs.
- A sudden, severe headache unlike any previous one.
Cauda equina syndrome and spinal infection are time-critical. Hours matter, and delay costs function permanently.
Why this page is on an attorney-facing site
Because attorneys frequently speak to injured people before any physician does, and are sometimes the first to hear a symptom that should not wait. Knowing the list is worth more to a client at that moment than any referral.
Nothing here is medical advice and this list is not exhaustive. When in doubt, an emergency department is the right answer.
Common questions
Should a client call the office first?
No. For anything on this list, go to an emergency department. Call afterwards.
What if symptoms started days ago?
Still go. Cauda equina and infection do not improve with waiting and the outcome depends on how quickly they are treated.
Is severe pain alone an emergency?
Not usually on its own, but severe pain with fever, neurological change, or after significant trauma is.
Does this replace medical advice?
No. It is a short list of red flags, not a substitute for evaluation.
Related reading
For anything on that list, go now
Do not wait for a call back from this office or any other. Come here afterwards.
12166 Natural Bridge Rd
St. Louis, MO 63044
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and nothing on it is medical advice.
Sources
- Raja SN et al. The revised International Association for the Study of Pain definition of pain: concepts, challenges, and compromises. Pain, 2020. PubMed 32694387
- Cohen SP et al. Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for lumbar facet joint pain from a multispecialty, international working group. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2020. PubMed 32245841
- Brinjikji W et al. Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2015. PubMed 25430861
- Woolf CJ. Central sensitization: implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain, 2011. PubMed 20961685