[richard d]

wow it just does not quit. have a winging scapular , anyone have any light to shed on methods to control this latest affliction. Googled it and have come to realize how serious it can become, yet the doctors who told me made it seem like a minor sprain . The state of the health care system , the practicing of defensive medicine et al is very discouraging, not to mention the appalling ignorance.

[EasternShoreLady]

Hi Richard,

I had a trans ax right rib resection with scalenectomy last March 5th at Hopkins. Didn't take care of the problem with the numbness & was fraught with loads of complications along the healing path. One of those probs was a winged scap. Kicked in fairly quickly after the surgery and hung around for about 6 months. PT helped some. There are specialized exercises that can help strengthen the muscles around the area to stabilize until the nerves get their act together. Biggest thing tho that helped me was TOTALLY revamping my computer setup so that I had my arm tucked down to my side and shoulder back. I use a keyboard on my lap and a Logitech Trackman trackball on the seat next to my thigh. That helped cut the irritation extremely well and allowed the nerves the chance to calm down enough to heal. I also made up a specialized sling to wear during the more painful times that I wore even at night so that I didn't extend my arm beyond a certain angle. Not to say tho that I didn't do a lot of range of motion, just didn't overuse it. Hard lesson to learn but finally got it through my skull. Takes time tho to get beyond it. I'm still healing. Extremely frustrating but at least it's a heck of a lot better than it was a couple of months ago. Read up on the exercises that help winging and do them but if you start having too much discomfort, give it some rest to let the nerves calm. If you don't exercise it tho, you will have muscles that will have more probs bouncing back once the nerves get back to working properly to pull the scapula back in. As frustrating as it is, patience is the best medicine on this. From my researching, a really high percentage will resolve without anything other than PT and time. I didn't think mine would but it finally did. Good luck!

Mary

www.ShoreServiceDogs.com

Originally Posted by richard d

wow it just does not quit. have a winging scapular , anyone have any light to shed on methods to control this latest affliction. Googled it and have come to realize how serious it can become, yet the doctors who told me made it seem like a minor sprain . The state of the health care system , the practicing of defensive medicine et al is very discouraging, not to mention the appalling ignorance.

[richard d]

Originally Posted by EasternShoreLady

Hi Richard,

I had a trans ax right rib resection with scalenectomy last March 5th at Hopkins. Didn't take care of the problem with the numbness & was fraught with loads of complications along the healing path. One of those probs was a winged scap. Kicked in fairly quickly after the surgery and hung around for about 6 months. PT helped some. There are specialized exercises that can help strengthen the muscles around the area to stabilize until the nerves get their act together. Biggest thing tho that helped me was TOTALLY revamping my computer setup so that I had my arm tucked down to my side and shoulder back. I use a keyboard on my lap and a Logitech Trackman trackball on the seat next to my thigh. That helped cut the irritation extremely well and allowed the nerves the chance to calm down enough to heal. I also made up a specialized sling to wear during the more painful times that I wore even at night so that I didn't extend my arm beyond a certain angle. Not to say tho that I didn't do a lot of range of motion, just didn't overuse it. Hard lesson to learn but finally got it through my skull. Takes time tho to get beyond it. I'm still healing. Extremely frustrating but at least it's a heck of a lot better than it was a couple of months ago. Read up on the exercises that help winging and do them but if you start having too much discomfort, give it some rest to let the nerves calm. If you don't exercise it tho, you will have muscles that will have more probs bouncing back once the nerves get back to working properly to pull the scapula back in. As frustrating as it is, patience is the best medicine on this. From my researching, a really high percentage will resolve without anything other than PT and time. I didn't think mine would but it finally did. Good luck!

Mary

www.ShoreServiceDogs.com

thanks Mary , sounds like solid advice.

[towelhorse]

hi Richard,

i have partial long thoracic nerve palsy which causes winging scapula, my scapula winging changes, depending on how much i use the arm, how much i lie on the scapula and how much i chest breathe (paradoxical breathing).
i believe that the majority of TOS is caused by the unstable shoulder girdle that is a consequence of partial long thoracic nerve palsy. if you are interested some of my earlier posts describe the techniques that i have used to overcome the winging and subsequent TOS good luck
regards towelhorse

[horsemommy]

yes I do, I'm positive my TOS caused my winged scapula. (I've had TOS for at least 10 yrs) Mine is so bad that the muscles on my left side both front and back are flat. There's no muscle left. I just ordered a Sully shoulder stablilizer to help keep my shoulder in place because I'm not able to hold it there all day. I looked at several types of stablilizers and the only other one I would try would be the Mcdonald style. I'm hoping and praying that this device will help my TOS and "buy" me some time before surgery.
on a side note, I told my docs that my shoulder was funny looking for the last 2 yrs and no one took me seriously until it was so apparent that the left shoulder joint sits 3 inches in front of the right even when I lay down and the scapula is out of place. And the muscles in my neck are larger on the left than the right causing a whole slue of other problems.
Good luck to you.

[richard d]

hi, just curious how do you avoid sleeping on your back, I find sleeping on either side just aggravates my neck, shoulders and ultimately increased arm and hand numbness.

[ginnybean32]

I had surgery to remove my left cervical rib and was doing fine until I had a severe car accident one month later. My scapula started to wing. I went to an ortho first who sent me to a neuro surgeon who said he couldnt help me and if I was lucky I would heal on my own. The pain and disability of the winging scapula was all I could stand as you know. I researched through Pub Med and every published article I could find and found Dr. Rahul Nath Neurosurgeon who has a minimially invasive technique for repairing the nerve if its cut or transecting muscle if the muscle is squeezing the life out of the nerve. I had surgery in May 5 months after my injury in Houston Tx where he is located. I woke up and my arm worked again. I had to rehab it to build back the muscle that had wasted but I was and still am fixed.
You could wait and see if your winging resolves on its own but from my research and what Dr. Nath told me the longer you go past 6 months post injury the less movement and the less chance of you having a complete recovery.
He has a website just google Dr. Rahul Nath Houston Texas.
His office staff are also just fabulous..they were instrumental in getting my insurance to pay for the surgery which runs 48,000..but if I had to have paid that I would have...Im am 2 1/2 yrs post op from the LTN decompression and I thank god for it everyday. Good luck