Jo*Mar- My story began in March of this year. I think exercising caused me to strain my neck muscle. However, I woke up one morning and it was so stiff I could barely move it to the right. Listened to advice from my husband and friends and went to the chiro. THAT is when the rest of the symptoms began! Not enough $$ in the world will send me back to a chiro.....especially when I feel as if this problem now exists b/c of him. I can't prove it, except to say with 100% certainty that the things I have going on began immediately after the first chiro visit. He adjusted my neck and all was good with the world. Then, he decided that I was too tense in the shoulder and adjusted that. It was then that I was in pain and it wouldn't go away. After a few more visits b/c I must be an idiot....I went to my family dr.

My family dr took an xray, it was good. Diagnosed me with a right upper trapezius strain. I began PT immediately and responded very well and after 11 visits I was pain free and feeling great. It was about a month later, I decided to do zumba classes and I played volleyball. Sometime weeks after that I began to feel pain on the opposite side but in the front.

Went back to family dr and he ordered an MRI. It came back good and he didn't know what else to do. He sent me to a pain mgmt/physiatrist sports rehab doc and he said he thought I had TOS. He was arrogant, argumentative and acted as if he wasn't very much interested in anything I had to say. He told me he would send me to PT. If that didn't work, then I could go to a specialist 3 hrs away. I told him to just refer me immediately. It took me 3 weeks to get in. Pain mgmt doc was going to give me a list of exercises to do before I got into the specialist. He then informed me once I asked for the list at the end of the appt that I could "look them up on youtube" Let's just say I won't be going back to him even though his office already wants to schedule an appt just to see what the specialist has to say. I am not paying an office visit to tell him what a faxed report can say!

Sorry for the ramble....but here are the symptoms I am having:
White hand when cold and it's freezing inside/out
Weak strength/grip
Muscle spasms in the neck
Constant spasms/pain in the neck/shoulder area
Trouble sleeping b/c of pain
Numbness/tingling in arms/hand esp if raised above my head
Shoulder is drooping and neck is sticking out

Thanks for the book suggestions! Going to check and see if the local library has any of them.

Julie