• Cornelson SM
• Johnnie ED
• Kettner NW

• Adult
• Affiliation / Logan University. Chiropractic Health Centers
• Affiliation / Logan University. Department of Radiology
• Affiliation(G) / United States / Missouri / Chesterfield
• Arachnoiditis
• Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
• Female
• Low Back Pain
• Lower Extremity
• Mobilization
• Myelography
• Open Access Document
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective: This case report describes the clinical features, complications, imaging characteristics, and management of postoperative spinal adhesive arachnoiditis.

Clinical Features: A 54-year-old woman presented with right posterior thigh and leg pain after a lumbar spine fusion surgery to correct a degenerative spondylolisthesis of L3/4. Her pain was sharp and shooting and worsened with knee extension. A lumbar computed tomography myelogram demonstrated clumping and adhesion of the nerve rootlets in the cauda equina at the surgical fusion levels. Findings were consistent with spinal arachnoiditis.

Intervention and Outcome: The patient was treated with 2 sets of neural mobilization of the sciatic nerve with 15 repetitions each. Treatment was provided 2× per week for 3 weeks. The patient used the neural mobilization exercises at home and performed to tolerance. The patient’s Oswestry Questionnaire was reduced significantly by 19% with decreased pain intensity of 2 points on the verbal analogue scale.

Conclusion: Neural mobilization was used successfully in the management of a patient with postoperative spinal arachnoiditis.

Author keywords: Arachnoiditis; Failed Back Surgery Syndrome; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Myelography; Chiropractic

Author affiliations: SMC, NWK: Radiology Department, Logan University, Chesterfield, Missouri; EDJ: Chiropractic Health Centers, Logan University, Chesterfield, Missouri

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; click on the above link for free full text. PubMed Record