Question
is arachnoiditis considered a spinal cord injury ?

Answer
I would think that yes, it is a spinal cord injury since it's obviously an injury to the cord in some fashion.  It's not an acute injury like one due to a car accident, but it is an injury or "malfunction" in the spinal cord.  Here's some more info on it below with a web site address that contains support groups and other info and links.

Arachnoiditis is a disorder which causes severe, chronic, intractable pain. It is the inflammation of one of the spinal cord coverings, the middle covering, the
arachnoid, that causes arachnoiditis. This inflammation causes the covering to
become "sticky", adhering it to the spinal cord and the nerve roots as they exit
the spinal cord. This inflammation and adhesion are what cause the pain.
Arachnoiditis can be progressive in some cases. It can also cause loss of motor
function, numbness, tingling, loss of bladder and bowel function, the sensation
of walking on rocks or glass, groin pain and can, in some rare instances, cause
paralysis. There is NO CURE and NO TREATMENT, except pain management.

Medical research has established a link between the myelographic dyes used in
xrays and CT scans and arachnoiditis. Arachnoiditis is difficult to diagnose.
Many people have been misdiagnosed as having 'failed back syndrome', 'scar
tissue', 'adhesions', and 'post-laminectomy syndrome', when in fact they may
have arachnoiditis. Most doctors do not know what they are seeing in
myelograms and xrays when they look at arachnoiditis. And, many doctors have
not even heard of arachnoiditis.

Arachnoiditis can be worsened by injection of ANY chemical, medication, dye or
other foreign substance into your spine. Your own blood is one of the worst
irritants which can, at times, invade your spinal fluid from any procedure which
uses a "spinal tap" approach or surgery. Even anesthetics such as used in
epidurals have been known to cause and/or worsen arachnoiditis. Spinal surgery
and trauma may also cause and/or worsen this disorder. Basically, anyone with
arachnoiditis should avoid any invasive procedure.
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Also, try this web site:
http://hometown.aol.com/Ddzevie


Thank you
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Jerry C.
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[email protected]
ICQ# 2427884
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My Spinal Cord Injury Web Site:
http://www.users.sgi.net/~ozzy/handicap.htm
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