Hi Everyone! My Story
 

I posted above and am introducing myself here as well :)

Hi Everyone! I've been reading through the posts for a few months and felt it was time to introduce myself. I've had worsening, progressive left arm, neck and back pain for about 4 years with left arm numbness and tingling down the lateral arm into my 4 and 5th fingers.

I was shuffled around to orthopedic docs who immediately wanted to do a diskectomy due to herniation at C5-C6 and C6-C7. At the time I was a 27 year old mother to a 2 year old and infant and was completing my phd so I said no way! I was able to manage the pain with intermittent steroid tapers and ibuprofen. It has gotten worse and worse through the years and I've had physical therapy and epidural injections for what I thought was disc issue.

However, I've relocated up to PA (have been in NC for the past 8 years) and things really took a turn for the worse with the numbness waking me up from sleeping (which I don't do so well anyway), not being able to hold a brush to do my hair (I'm also left handed) and not being able to hold my kiddos. Same old story, my new primary care doc sent me for an MRI and to an ortho. Same MRI results and ortho sent me for pt. This is where everything changed. On the initial eval the pt said immediately, I don't think this is disc related, I think you have TOS and he said I'm a poster child for pec minor syndrome.

He started treating me with nerve glides, ART, etc and there was improvement at times but not a whole lot. Sent me back to the doc who sent me for an EMG which was negative. Back to the doc for a follow up and he reiterated the need for diskectomy. Then he decided to do the Adson's test and it was positive. So I went to the vascular today and she was WONDERFUL! She specializes in TOS and was very realistic with me, took her time and it was refreshing to see someone who understood and didn't make feel crazy when I started crying in her office.

So...next steps, x-ray to look for the cervical ribs, pain management, more pt, no more training for my half marathons and triathlons

I'd like to thank you all for all of your posts, it's so nice to find people who understand and reading them over the past few months has really made a difference!

Also, if anyone knows any physical therapists in the southeast PA, Delaware area that have particular experience with TOS I'd love to hear about it!

**update - today I had my cervical spine x-ray and I am now furiously looking at my films to see if I can spot any cervical ribs***