So I had a revelation today, and wanted to share.
Let me start with a quick summary for anyone who doesn't want to look through a bunch of posts to figure it out. I don't want to lead people astray who are having different symptoms than me.

1. I just produced baby #3 in Aug '05. I have been either pregnant, nursing, or both for about 4 straight years now

2. March/April of this year while and after doing some inversion poses in a vinyasa flow yoga class I felt severe pain in my arms, wrists, and the front of my shoulders. Pain also shows up as burning in my wrists (like a fireball is right in the center of them) when I am on the computer. I can't put any pressure on them, lifting myself up, closing the back door of my van, or anything.

3. Originally dx'ed as tendonitis and/or wrist sprain, went to PT for 2 months. It was helpful but also painful- the strengthening exercises would always make my traps hurt and my triceps. WHen I told the PT this, I was always told my psture wasn't good enough.

4. June '06 I passed a nerve conduction study, and was finally dx'ed as TOS (with different ortho) 12/10 on right side and 8/10 on left side. Pulse disappears very quickly on both.

5. Went to same PT place for TOS PT for 1.5 months. It only made me hurt, so I quit.

6. September '06 Went to see Dr. Jordan at ortho's suggestion to find out about Botox.

7. Dr Jordan gives me scalnene test block, claims that I have improvement and then suggests botox next. I was not quite convinced I had had improvement with the test block, but knew that I would try botox before surgery anyhow, so I went along for the ride.

8. Botox injections hurt very badly for 2 weeks, do nothing until about a month after- at which time I feel markedly better.

9. November '-6 to present- I want to take advantage of my loosened muscles, and I feel like I can't sit up striaght becaus emy whole back is just out of whack. I start seeing chiropractor and hellerworker- Chiro loosens up my neck significantly so that I can look to both shoulders again, explains to me that the weird pains I have been having in my back are muscle spasms (can you say clueless?) and helps work them out. They are presently better but not gone. The Hellerworker finds that my neck muscles and arm muscles are really tight which I expected, he also finds that the muscles on the sides of my ribcage are very tight and tell me he thinks this must certainly be contributing to my problem because he has rarely seen them so tight.

10. SO, on Dec 22 I saw Dr Jordan again, he says my pulse is back in the right arm after being goine for so long, congratulations on the improvement, come back in 2 months he wants to put more botox in before I get back to where I was. I am pretty psyched and ask to be sent back to PT because I know I need some help and feel like I am on the brink of progress.


11. Today I see Joyce Wilkinson and she says some things that really click for me. Therefore I want to share them because I haven't seen anyone else really say much about it and maybe it will cliock for others.
a. The muscles on the sides of my rib cage ARE really tight.
b. Sometimes the muscles of the neck and shoulder get tight because the ribcage is being pushed up from below and that's what really needs to be fixed before the scalenes and pecs have anywhere to lengthen to
c. and this one didn't click but it made me very very happy- there is a spot on my back that is super tight and that spot is probably what makes me feel like I am constantly stuck bending forward (unable to sit up straight). Now why didn't my chiro find that?
d. she found some "disfunction" in my wrists and they are really tight, probably contributes to the burning pain.
e. My pec minor is really really tight and probably has a lot to do with my issues.


SO...I took all of this in and chewed on it this morning. I have a couple of observations in no particular order.

1. Maybe Dr. Sanders is really onto something with his pec minor release surgery process. If others problems are more like mine it really might be a better answer than fixing the scalenes.

2. I think If I stuck with the hellerwork for long enough that might have been the right answer, too, because he was working to put my ribcage back in the right place and loosening the tension in my muscles. He found tension in all the same places as Joyce did, and had similar conslusions.

3. Botox in the scalenes and the pecs and traps alone probably wouldn't fix a problem with tight lats and serratus anterior.

4. My idea that sharon butler was totally on the right page was also right- it was her email FAQ that said for burning wrists you should stretch the lats and the armpits. Those are the areas that are so out of whack for me, and stretching them really does help the wrist pain when I get it.

Anyhow...I might come up with more later, and I'll come and update this. Joyce seems to really be the real deal. If you can't get to a similarly qualified PT, I would highly suggest hellerwork.

As always- this is just some things and thoughts that have worked for me, And I am no doctor. Just read and try to think.

Would also love to hear from anyone who has had pec minor release instead of the rib resection or scalenectomy, or anyone with other interpretations of my thoughts adn dx'es. I am putting it out there because I thought it was interesting and tried to make some connections that might help others.


happy new year!!!

Johanna