Safety
When symptoms may be urgent
Some new bladder, bowel, sensation, and leg symptoms need immediate medical evaluation rather than a routine therapy appointment.
Seek emergency evaluation now
- New inability to urinate or loss of bladder control
- New loss of bowel control
- New numbness or major sensory change around the genitals, perineum, buttocks, or inner thighs (the “saddle” area)
- Rapidly worsening leg weakness or difficulty walking—especially with new back or leg pain
- A concerning combination of these symptoms, even if each seems incomplete
What to tell the emergency team
- Exactly what changed and when it began
- Whether you can feel bladder fullness and whether you can start or complete urination
- Any new leakage or loss of bowel control
- The location of numbness and whether it is spreading
- Back or leg pain, weakness, falls, fever, recent surgery, trauma, cancer, infection risk, or blood-thinning medication
Warning signs are not a diagnosis
Many conditions can cause urinary, bowel, sensory, or leg symptoms. The purpose of urgent guidance is to avoid missing a time-sensitive problem—not to tell you what you have. A clinician may need an examination, bladder scan, imaging, or other testing.
Sources and review notes
This page summarizes authoritative guidance in plain language. It does not reproduce a full clinical guideline or replace individualized assessment.
- Suspected Urinary Retention: Emergency Care Protocol — NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation
- Cauda Equina and Conus Medullaris: Spine Committee Recommendations — World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies