Can epidurals cause paralysis?
• Paralysis after epidural anaesthesia is extremely rare, but it is possible. To illustrate the rarity, it is even rarer that death after general anaesthesia. The mid-lumbar spine location for most epidural techniques is chosen because of it reduces the likelihood of nerve damage. In this area of the back the spinal cord has finished and has divided into a bunch of nerves which float in an area filled with cerebrospinal fluid. A needle entering this area is unlikely to damage these nerves. Other risks include injecting the wrong drug, and the formation of a blood clot or abscess in the back. Careful attention to detail, and to patient selection, minimise these risks, making it safer than general anasthesia. This is why the epidural is the anasthesia of choice for caesarean deliveries.
