It depends on what you define as success. I was around a number of TOS patients being treated by knowledgeable experts and there were a variety of outcomes. It seemed like there were a number of factors that determined progress:

1) How much of the pain was due to ongoing tissue damage and how much due to central brain mechanisms. The latter responds well to a graded set of exercises. I saw people who lad mostly the latter return to their previous jobs as long as they exercised regularly.

2) How much damage there is and what type of damage. I was able to get significant functional gains from Peter Edgelow’s TOS program. However I was only able to get 75% through it before I reached the point where all the later exercises flared me up. People who could finish the whole program did better. I know one woman, who after finishing the Edgelow program, was able to go back to school to get her physical therapy license, And I have one friend that was unable, even with Edgelow’s help, to do any of the program because her scalenes/brachial plexus were so damaged.

3) How much knowledgeable help people get. Because of the time delay between activity and flare it can be difficult to figure out how to exercise without flaring. And exercising without flaring is key to getting better. I was totally unsuccessful in applying the Edgelow program on my own from his material but had significant improvement when he worked with me.

4) How much success people have in avoiding activates that flare the injury, esp. in the early days of the injury. I did not make much progress until I hired some help to do paperwork and household work until I healed some.


I am unclear how you define success here.