Will an MRI of neck show TOS?
 

I'm not sure if I have it, but I am scheduled for MRI this tuesday for my neck. I think I did something (pinched or pulled) my muscle on the side where my rib cage is but the achy pain and weakness is around my shoulder blade, shoulder and arm (only right side). I felt a slight tingly sensation around the area when I pulled it but no pain.

If you have something like a extra cervical rib, that should show up, or any large abnormal bone structures or any other large ligaments that might be a problem.

But if it is more of a soft tissue thing then in general those don't show up unless it is maybe something torn or something like that.

I have a cervical MRI that showed a herniated disk in the neck and other things which contributes to the TOS and other nerve injuries. It can cause symptoms to worsen and is interlinked with my other injuries making surgery very hard.

Thank you for the replies and info.

When did your symptoms start and do you know what caused your TOS? I'm not sure I have it yet.

I have pain around the side of my back under armpit but it runs all the way around my shoulder blade area too and my right side twitches from time to time especially when I lay on it or sit on that side. It's been 4 weeks since I thought I pulled a muscle there but now I'm not sure what is going on.

What tests should I ask my doctor to run to confirm TOS?

If you go to the main page for all TOS threads - up above the main threads is a section called sticky threads - they have green circle icons with an arrow on it.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

These threads have lots of important info & saved threads with links, polls, articles, pictures, videos, drs & PT lists, testing suggestions.

If you read thru those you'll find the testing info, and a poll of how all the old timers got injured and also a top 5 of symptoms as well as an all symptoms list.

Mine started as a RSI injury & then some shoulder injuries from repetitive work and then all came together to be TOS or TOS like.

some nurses here fell or tried to catch or lift pt and got TOS that way
also previous whiplash can play a part too
one got TOS from a vaccination
but most is due to repetitive/desk/computer/overhead work

most of us have ulnar and/or ring & pinky finger sx - usually all of us have had some sort of hand & arm symptoms along with the neck/shoulder sx.

I have had an MRI x2 neither showed anything up. FOr most people it is a symptom based diagnosis as lots of tests come back negative!....

Like you I also have shoulder blade pain/arm/hand and unless there is an obvious cause like extra rib/cervical rib/fibrous band then mri will unlikely be useful in diagnosing tos. it may show another cause of your pain so worth having even if to elimate other causes/conditions.

I have not received an official diagnosis - more of an "your symptoms derive from the thoracic outlet area" and "you have interscalene spasaming and cervical nerve root irritation". FOr some reason lots of dr's seem unknowledgable in the area of tos and seem reluctant to diagnose it.

My MRI showed tears and nerniated disc. EMG showed plexus and other nerve injuries. But I have so many injuries including frozen shoulders, TOS, carpal tunnel and other nerve injuries. I want another MRI to check tears from a year ago. Waitng now.

Thank you for your replies. I have a mild disc bulge at c5-c6 area of the neck and it was taken while laying down. My physio explained to me that there could be a difference upon standing up vs. laying down. So laying down the mri may have not shown that it was pinching some nerves. And I did it without contrast. But she told me my MRI matches my symptoms so now I am doing physical therapy to try to get rid of the bulging disc... it is very very mild.

A neck MRI never showed anything for me, even though 90% of my symptoms are in my neck. And it's almost worse when you get nothing out of it. My 3D brachial plexus MRI was a different story. Not that it got me anywhere... that was about 10 years ago. All it's done is just slowly get worse and worse, and insurance helps less and less.

Sorry to be sarcastic. I'm so sick of feeling like :confused:, I'm in a :mad: mood.

...but discovering that I can use smilies to express vulgarity and get away with it... that's kind of fun...

~ Jenny