Arachnoiditis: The Severe Pain Condition Doctors Miss with Dr. Forest Tennant (Ep 188)

About this episode

This episode discusses arachnoiditis, a severe pain condition often missed by doctors, featuring insights from Dr. Forest Tennant.

Severe back pain that refuses to respond to treatment may sometimes have a far more serious cause than most people realize. In this episode of Bendy Bodies, Dr. Linda Bluestein speaks with Dr. Forest Tennant, a longtime physician and researcher who has spent decades studying adhesive arachnoiditis, a rare but devastating inflammatory condition affecting the nerves in the lower spinal canal. Often misunderstood and frequently missed, arachnoiditis can cause extreme pain, neurologic dysfunction, and progressive disability. Dr. Tennant explains what the arachnoid membrane is, how inflammation can cause nerve roots to clump together, and why people with connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome may be at higher risk. The conversation explores common triggers, including spinal procedures and surgeries, along with the symptom patterns that may signal something more serious than typical back pain. The episode also dives into emerging treatment strategies, including anti-inflammatory protocols, neuroprotective therapies, peptides, and newer approaches aimed at reducing nerve inflammation and supporting tissue repair. For patients living with unexplained severe back pain…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Linda Bluestein

Guest: Dr. Forest Tennant

Topics covered

• arachnoiditis
• back pain
• nerve inflammation
• connective tissue disorders
• treatment strategies

Keywords

• arachnoiditis
• severe back pain
• nerve roots
• inflammation
• treatment strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

More episodes of Bendy Bodies with Dr. Linda Bluestein

• Hypermobility Then and Now | Episode 200 · June 11, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Fatigue, Pain, Poor Sleep? It Could Be Vitamin D. | Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff & Dr. Dacre Knight (Ep. 199) · June 4, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Why Lipedema Resists Diet and Exercise with the Lipedema Foundation (Ep 198) · May 28, 2026 · 1h 14m
• Why Everything You've Been Told About EDS Lifestyle Is Wrong with Dr. Dacre Knight (Ep 197) · May 21, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Too Flexible to Fix? Orthopedic Surgery and Hypermobility with Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein (Ep 196) · May 14, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Busting Common EDS & MCAS Myths with Dr. Dacre Knight (Ep 195) · May 7, 2026 · 1h 4m