The MRI will reveal arachnoiditis. Look at the axial cuts (bottom up cuts) where you are looking at the canal like a round hot dog. Use the T2 images. T2 images are noted where the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid or water) is white. The nerves will be black and uniformly spaced around in this fluid.
The normal arachnoid membrane keeps the nerve roots apart something similar to two magnets with their negative poles facing each other. If arachnoiditis is noted, the nerves will be clumped together. You can compare different cuts at different levels as arachnoiditis generally might occur in one or two segments but doesn’t occur in the entire canal.
If arachnoiditis is not present, you might have peripheral neuropathy (see website for description) or fibromyalgia, two disorders that might look something like arachnoiditis.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
