Lumbar Puncture Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

If you are planning to have a lumbar puncture, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Headache
• Backache
• Bleeding
• Pain or abnormal burning, pricking, or tingling sensations in legs
• Allergic reaction to anesthetic
• Infection

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Severe headache or headache lasting for more than 24 hours
• Nausea or vomiting
• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, bleeding, or discharge from the lumbar puncture site
• Numbness, tingling, or pain in your lower back or legs
• Problems with urination or defecation
• A stiff neck
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain

In case of an emergency, call 911.