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Old 09-30-2014, 11:56 AM
Hiker Hiker is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 111
10 yr Member
Hiker Hiker is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 111
10 yr Member
Default New here. Need help!

Hi all!

I don't know if I have TOS, but I suspect I do based on the symptoms.
Was suspecting it for some time now and recently my PT suggested that I might have it.

My symptoms are headaches (15 years), neck pain (3 years), bilateral shoulder
pain (1 year), numbness in fingers and forearms.
Shoulder pain is really disabling and increases when I move my arms or start typing. I have been in pain every day for the past 9 months which is gradually getting worse.
Doing anything with my arms like cooking, driving, reaching overhead etc
flares up my symptoms and brings up severe delayed onset pain which lasts a couple of days.

Another symptoms I have are a weak pulse in my wrists which disappears when I bring my shoulders back and feeling of tightness in my armpits.

I am and engineer and have been working on the computer for 10 hrs/day for 20 years now which probably explains all this.
I the past year I tried to reduce my stress level and work hours significantly, but this made no difference. Took 2 months off of work, but keep getting worse.
Now I reached the point where I cannot continue working due to constant pain.

The doctors say either "nothing wrong" or "muscle strain".
Been to four different doctors and three different PTs.
Did X-Rays, CT, MRI of the neck and brachial plexus, EMG, NCS, countless blood tests.
The only definitive finding is a fracture of the first rib.
There was no trauma which could cause this so I am assuming it is a stress fracture. I wonder if this could be related to my symptoms.

I have been going to PT for 2 months now, but see no improvement and, in fact, am not even able to do any exercises they are giving me without triggering pain.
This is a bummer as I used to exercise daily, run regularly and was in good physical shape until this year.

Does this sound like TOS to you?
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