My wife recently had severe back pain about a month after being in a car accident. She also began losing control over her bladder and was wetting herself. Her doctor said that it was a syndrome called cauda equina and that surgery was urgent and had to be done right away, but now, a month later, she’s still wetting herself and she still has pain. What was the point of the surgery?

Cauda equina syndrome, pressure on the nerve roots at the base of the spine is, indeed, a surgical emergency. It’s vital that a surgeon remove whatever is causing pressure on the nerve roots to prevent further damage and to try to reduce any damage that may have already been done.

You don’t say if your wife’s pain – although still there – is better than it was before. Certainly, the symptoms of leading urine or not being able to control urine can be quite disturbing.

Your wife should speak with her surgeon and her doctor to find out what she should expect at this point and what could be contributing to the problems. Sometimes, the problems, such as urine leakage, are coincidental, so the doctors need to know that she is still having pain and urine problems.