Adhesive arachnoiditis occurs when inflammation leads to recruitment of cells to the area and fibrous exudate, and ensuing deposition of collagen forms bands that could cause ischemia or even atrophy of the spinal cord or nerve roots.

[25] While arachnoiditis may not yet be curable with the potential to be life-altering, management including medication, physical therapy, and if appropriate, psychotherapy, can help patients cope with the difficulties it presents.

[25] Medications that have been used to treat arachnoiditis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,[26] and pulse steroid therapy with methylprednisolone,[26][2][27] and multi-modal pain regimens.

[28] Epidural steroid injections to treat sciatic pain have been linked as a cause of the disease by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as in other research, and are therefore discouraged as a treatment for arachnoiditis as they will most likely worsen the condition.

[29][30][31] Arachnoiditis is a chronic disorder with no known cure,[25] and prognosis may be difficult to determine because of an unclear correlation between the beginning of the disease or source and the appearance of symptoms.

For many, arachnoiditis is a disabling disease that causes chronic pain and neurological deficits,[23] and may also lead to other spinal cord conditions, such as syringomyelia.