Hand discoloration. Is this tos?
 

I have struggled with tos symptoms for three years and I might be getting close to a diagnosis. I've already had carpal tunnel release and ulnar nerve transposition on my right arm. After that surgery and downtime I was much better but the tos symptoms are back with vengeance.
I have developed circulation issues in my hands. When I sit in a chair or stand my hands turn deep red and I can see blue veins all over and they have very mottled look. When I raise my arm over my head for 5 seconds it returns to a normal color and quickly turns red again when I lower it. I have bad pain in my hands.

I'm almost disabled from computer work which is my job. My PT says I fail the adsons test. My biggest question for this board is has anybody had the hand discoloration while in a neutral position? Everything I've read talks about circulation getting worse when raising your arm not better. I've had xrays and I don't have rib abnormalities like a cervical rib or anything. From what I've read that is almost always true for arterial or venous tos. I see a vascular surgeon in 3 weeks but I don't have high hopes that he will know what he's doing based on what the doctors I've dealt with so far have been like. Thanks for reading!

Sounds like you need to find a TOS specialist - we have drs listing & PT
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread135.html

Hi! Yes, I'll have major differences in hand color and even tingling with hands at rest.

This is good desk set up example: http://www.workrerc.org/case_study/v...?casestudy=654

And may be a heating pad pinned to the back of the chair?

Yes, I have hand discoloration. For me, raising the arm apparently cuts off the artery because the hand turns extremely white and the veins go flat from lack of volume/flow.

In the down position, I get the red color and the bulging veins. The palms are always blotchy, which is a sign of poor circulation.

Perhaps the most interesting color change is that for a couple months my left hand would turn distinctly purple. I would then self adjust my rib down and it would clear out. Wish I had done pics at the time.

Another interesting thing to try, which I got from Dr. Gelabert @ UCLA, is to run your thumbnails across each of the fingerpads to see how sensitive or numb they are. I have much more compression on the left than the right, and sure enough much less sensation. Also, if only key nerves are compressed, like the ulnar, then within the same hand, you may detect a difference in sensitivity between fingers. You can look up the arm nerves and which fingers they enervate on google.

In terms of relief, have my arms supported in a way that takes weight off my shoulders is helpful. Shoving my first rib down is helpful as well.

HTH

Are you going to have surgery to fix it? I think it's become such a problem for me that I will have to.

My symptoms used to be bad enough that I could have justified it early on, but I had insurance problems back then.

Now I'm doing well enough that I can manage conservatively. My next step is to explore the trigger points throughout my neck and the rest of my body and see what resolving those does for me.