Use of Thalidomide in Patients With Arachnoiditis

• 1. To evaluate the change in pain as measured by the McGill Pain Questionnaire, short form, (SF-MPQ) and consumption of adjuvant opioid medications in three patients with arachnoiditis who receive thalidomide.
  
• 2. To evaluate the change in physical functionality as measured by the Roland-Morris Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire in three patients with arachnoiditis who receive thalidomide.
  

• 1. To measure change in the patient's health status as measured by the SF36 in three patients with arachnoiditis who receive thalidomide.
  

Arachnoiditis, a neuropathic disease caused by inflamation of the arachnoid membrane that surrounds and protects the spinal nerves,can result in a debilitating state that is characterized by numbing and tingling, stinging and burning in the lower back or legs, and possible muscle cramps, twitching and spasms. Current treatments are not always effective in treating the pain associated with arachnoiditis. Recent research has indicated that a group of chemicals called cytokines that are produced by various cells in the body may be responsible for generating the pain response. Medications that effect the release of cytokines or block the action of cytokines may reduce the pain response. Various anti-cytokine medications are now being used to treat painful disease states such as rheumotoid arthritis and Crohn's Disease. In this study the anti-cytokine medication, Thalidomide, is being evaluated for it's effect in treating pain associated with arachnoiditis.