The UCSD Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
 

Has anyone visited this clinic in San Diego?

I currently live in Los Angeles and have been seeing various doctors at UCLA.
My TOS is getting worse and really need to get relief. I have tried physical therapy and all types of conservative treatment. MRI of the cervical spine is normal and there were no abnormalities with my chest Xray. I will be getting a scalene block soon to confirm TOS.

I am to the point where I want surgery. I am 28 years old but I have been suffering from this since I was 26, most likely due to weight lifting.

I know that there are injections and botox treatments but I am afraid as I have read stories of serious injuries.

*edit*

Back to my original question, has anyone tried attending "The UCSD Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome" or have heard any thing from this group?

I have not, but I'm curious if you have tried PT with Joyce Wilkinson in Santa Monica? Perhaps you have as it was a vascular MD at UCLA who recommended her.

Hopefully someone has experience with the UCSD group and will write back.

Have you backed off of, or stopped the weightlifting?
I don't know if you were lifting for bulking up or just as an overall fitness thing.

Hypertrophy of the muscles can crowd the spaces needed in the areas.
Imbalances with any muscle size increase can cause all sorts of problems too.

What type of exercices give you tos please ?

Check out the pic of the football player from the back:
http://posturalrestoration.com/media...all_Player.pdf

Hypertrophied everything, especially traps, with rounded shoulders.

That's exactly what I have also and I am afraid of surgery but I do not know what other options I have. I used to bench press and it has caused a lot of damage to my body. I am worried, depressed, and currently seeking the best qualified surgeon...

I used to benchpress along with other strenous excercises and I am very sure that it has caused my TOS. I regret everything now and can only pray that I my symptoms will improve.

You can only pray??? You said you were in the Los Angeles area. Give Joyce Wilkinson PT in Santa Monica a try even if you have already tried other PTs. Takes me 45 mins to get there and almost the same to get back, but it is sooooooo worth it.

In a typical session she will:
1. listen to your symptoms and complaints
2. evaluate your posture and tension
3. perform hands on therapy that makes genuine changes in your body
4. prescribe stretches and exercises to do at home to improve your condition

#3 is where she really shines although she must be very good at #2 in order for #3 to work.

The contact info for the place is the web site pogsonpt.com.

After my first session, I walked out breathing easier into my left lung. I didn't even know it was restricted!

In another session, my left neck had been hurting. She determined it was fighting against tension in my right upper trap and spent all her time on that, never touching the left neck. And she was right. The left neck pain went away.

The conservative (e.g., non-surgical route) is a long one, but along the way you learn more about your body and how to fix it. In addition to Joyce, I recommend looking into books by Joseph Weisberg, Pete Egoscue, Peggy Brill and Craig Williamson. The books help and they are very interesting, although alone they are not sufficient. For those of us with serious problems, there is no substitute to having an expert observe and evaluate our individual problems.

Just went to UCSD TOS team
 

I am brand new to this forum. I just saw Dr Justin Brown at UCSD. He is a neurosurgeon on the TOS team. He is very likable and knowledgeable. He has recommended surgery for me unfortunately, as I failed PT. I have both neuro and vascular symptoms bilaterally. He is going to do a scalenectomy which does not involve any rib removal. Hopefully my recovery and complication rate will be lower than what I have been reading about in these threads.

I have bilateral arterial and venous TOS. What diagnostic tests and imaging studies have you had done (e.g., ultrasound, CT, arteriogram, venogram, etc.)? When you say vascular, is it the arterial or venous form? I will be getting partial rib resections on both sides in the coming months, and I've done endless research on this, as it is such serious surgery. I'm kind of surprised, if you have vascular TOS, that no rib surgery is involved, but if you could share any more details about the surgery, it would be interesting to me to hear about them.