Arachnoiditis

Arachnoiditis is a neuropathic disease caused by inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid can become severely inflamed because of adverse reactions to chemicals, infection from bacteria or viruses, as the result of direct injury to the spine, chronic compression of spinal nerves, or complications from spinal surgery or other invasive spinal procedures. Inflammation can sometimes lead to the formation of scar tissue and adhesion that can make the spinal nerves "stick" together. This can be extremely painful, especially in last stage adhesive arachnoiditis—though clinical findings may not match pain levels. In other words, it may look mild on an MRI scan but the patient may experience great pain.