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What is cauda equina

As spinal nerves branch from the spinal cord, they pass laterally to exit the vertebral canal through the intervertebral foramina between adjacent vertebrae. However, because the spinal cord is shorter than the vertebral column, nerves that arise from the lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal regions of the spinal cord do not leave the vertebral column at the same level they exit the spinal cord. The roots of these lower spinal nerves angle inferiorly alongside the filum terminale in the vertebral canal like wisps of hair. Accordingly, a rope-like tail of nerve fibers at the caudal end of the spinal cord are collectively named the cauda equina, from the Latin translation meaning “horse’s tail”.

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Articles of Interest

Anatomy of Cauda Equina

At the base of the Cauda Equina, there are approximately 10 fiber pairs, 3-5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and the single coccygeal nerve. All these roots and rootlets down the vertebral column give the appearance of a horse’s tail, which is the meaning of the Latin name cauda equina.

Cauda Equina

The cauda equina (from Latin horse tail) is a bundle of spinal nerves and spinal nerve roots, consisting of the second through fifth lumbar nerve pairs, the first through fifth sacral nerve pairs, and the coccygeal nerve...

Living Lucky After Emergency Surgery for Cauda Equina Syndrome

When symptoms of cauda equina syndrome kicked in, it changed my life and gave me the desire to help improve our health care system.

Spinal Cord and Cauda Equina of the Lumbar Spine

A group of nerve roots that travel down from the spinal cord and the conus medullaris is called the cauda equina. The cauda equina contains nerve roots from L2 in the lumbar spine to Co1 in the coccygeal (tail bone end) spine. Each nerve root from the cauda equina exits the spinal canal at its respective vertebral level, for example, the L4 nerve root exits between the L4 and L5 vertebrae.

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KenHub

Distal to the conus medullaris is a collection of spinal nerve roots called the cauda equina, that emerges from the lumbosacral part of the spinal cord below the L1 vertebra and descends toward the coccyx. The cauda equina is translated from Latin into ‘horse’s tail’, and was so named due to its resemblance to the tail of a horse.

Physiopedia

The cauda equina is a collection of spinal nerves that travel through the lumbar cistern as they leave the vertebral column. The spinal cord is shorter than the vertebral column, which causes nerves that innervate the lower limbs to bundle together as they travel down through the vertebral column to leave at the appropriate level. It is so named as it resemble a horse’s tail.

StatPearls

In 1595, French anatomist Andre du Laurens first described the structure of a rope-like tail of fibers at the caudal end of the spinal cord. This bundle of numerous axons was termed the cauda equina, from the Latin translation meaning “horse’s tail,” and it contains nerves which innervate both sensory and motor targets within lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal spinal cord levels.