Towel,

I don't think you really answered my question, which is how can you believe that hyperlung diagnosis can have any correlation to TOS, when it seems to actually be the opposite, since our muscles tighten up, not loosen, and, as by Edgelow's PT findings / retraining / recommendations, as well as from what I know from our community here.

Again, I find the hyper-lung thing to not be believable for most of us TOSers. Most of us (that I have met) are hypo-lung - meaning, we cannot take deep breaths.

Please see this link, third question down, I believe, which says:

Q. My mother who is 62 had a bad pain in her right side and went to the doctor, who did a chest x-ray. When the result came back, it said that she had hyperinflated lung fields consistent with COPD and a small nodule, which was a granuloma in the upper right lobe.

Mum is a life long non smoker, her husband and kids don't smoke either. Her parents smoked but she stopped living with them 40 years ago. She doesn't wheeze or cough or get bronchitis. We are very concerned - what could have caused the hyperinflation or COPD?

Kris

A. Dear Kris, Hyperinflation on a chest x-ray, just indicates that the patient can take a big breath. It does not measure lung function and by itself, does not mean much.
If the nodule is calcified, it is indeed a granuloma. If not, it needs follow-up. Lung cancer is not common in non smokers, but does occur, particularly in women.

Dr. Tom

http://yourlunghealth.org/dr_tom/arc...60/drtom52.cfm

I am not trying to argue, just pointing out that Edgelow indicates this as well, and encourages / teaches us to do deep abdominal breathing, as it was explained to me by Cyndy and his paperwork. Deep abdominal breathing is key - so are you doing the opposite? What is your PT for this?

And again at this link:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/332/7552/1261

the hyperlung is related more to smoking or dust / inhalation histories - and I just don't see the connection to TOS yet.

As for your conclusive statement:

The changed breathing patterns are a consequence of TOS. They are the main reason that TOS sufferers remain TOS sufferers. Their consequence should not be underestimated

I have to ask you for a foundation for that - as I have never, ever read that before, I do not have hyperlung issues (I have hypolung issues) and I do not see it in the tens of TOSers I have interviewed.

Again, I am not trying to just be argumentative, I just don't see the correlation, nor do I feel it is supported by my anecdotal references OR any medical articles on TOS.

I have to ask some obvious questions, and that is, were you EVER a smoker, lived with any smoker, or, worked around ANY type of fumes? Unless your answer is an adamant and complete answer to no to ALL of these, then I think you have an additional diagnosis to your TOS, not that the TOS caused the hyperlung, or, I wonder if it was a one-shot situation, such as, a particularly deep breath that was held while Xraying?

Did you ever see a pulmonary specialist for this condition?

I know that we're all trying to figure out TOS, but I really think this path is not the norm for most TOSers...

P.S. Just as an aside, we may not have the same type of TOS. The fact that you can live without major pain meds is not the same as my experience - from day one of TOS I've had 9, 8 pain, consistently, almost to the point of insanity. This seems to be somewhat common from the neurogenic TOS where the docs / test do not reflect an obvious compression, and the TOS came from repetitive work. I don't know the cause of your TOS.

God bless.