Treatment · Updated October 6, 2026
Clarify the clinical reason
The procedure aims to reach tissue or medication pathways around spinal nerves when scar-related problems are suspected. Ask what previous surgery, imaging, symptoms, or response to simpler injections supports this hypothesis in your case.
Persistent pain after surgery may have several causes. The proposed lysis procedure should be connected to a specific suspected mechanism, not simply to the fact that surgery occurred.
Understand the technique
Ask how the clinician plans to access the epidural space, whether a catheter is used, what medicines are delivered, and what image guidance and monitoring are planned. The exact protocol is more informative than the label alone.
Bring reports from prior injections as well as surgery. A previous procedure may have been at a different level or aimed at a different pain mechanism, so the clinician should explain what added information or access the proposed lysis technique provides.
Balance burden and uncertainty
Review bleeding or infection concerns, prior spinal surgery details, medication changes, and post-procedure restrictions. Ask what functional outcome would justify the procedure and what the next evaluation is if symptoms persist.
Ask whether one session or a staged plan is intended, how much observation follows the procedure, and whom to call for a new neurologic symptom. A clear report-back plan is especially useful when several past treatments have given mixed results.
Questions to ask
- What evidence suggests adhesions contribute to my symptoms?
- How does this differ from the epidural injection already tried or proposed?
- What result and follow-up time would show whether it helped?