Spinal surgeon medico-legal reports
Independent reports from GMC-registered consultant spinal surgeons on spinal fractures, disc injury and cauda equina syndrome, prepared to CPR Part 35 standards for personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
Spinal injury claims range from a fractured vertebra that heals in a brace to cauda equina syndrome that changes a life in a weekend. Expert Medical arranges independent reports from GMC-registered consultant spinal surgeons who examine the claimant, read the imaging themselves, and give a reasoned opinion on what the injury is, what caused it and where it is heading.
Solicitors instruct our spinal experts in road traffic, workplace and clinical negligence claims, particularly cauda equina cases where the timing of surgery is the central issue. Insurers instruct the same experts where the organic basis of ongoing back symptoms is disputed. Every report is prepared under CPR Part 35, addressed to the court rather than the instructing party.
Fractures and disc injury
The report separates what the accident did from what the spine already showed. Degenerative change is almost universal in adults, so our surgeons address it head on, explaining whether the disc prolapse or vertebral fracture is traumatic, how far symptoms are accident-related, and what recovery the claimant can realistically expect.
Cauda equina timing
Cauda equina negligence claims turn on hours, when the red flag symptoms appeared, when they were acted on, and what earlier decompression would have preserved. Our spinal surgeons reconstruct that timeline from the notes and give a clear opinion on breach, causation and the outcome that better care would have achieved.
Surgical outcome opinions
Where spinal surgery has already happened, the report assesses whether it was indicated, whether it was performed to a reasonable standard and how the outcome compares with what should have been achieved. Where surgery lies ahead, it sets out the options, the risks and the likely effect on prognosis.
Spinal opinions that respect the detail
A spine carries a working history that the accident interrupts, and the two must be untangled honestly. Our consultant spinal surgeons do that from the imaging, the records and the examination, and set out their reasoning so the court can see how each conclusion was reached.
- Vertebral fractures after road traffic and workplace accidents
- Disc prolapse causation and acceleration opinions
- Cauda equina syndrome delay and outcome claims
- Spinal cord injury assessment and prognosis
- Failed back surgery and post-operative complications
- Negligence claims arising from spinal surgery
- Apportionment between trauma and degenerative change
- Interpretation of spinal MRI and CT imaging
- Opinions on future surgery and care needs
- Condition and prognosis reports to CPR Part 35
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