Implications of Breathing Dysfunction and TOS
 

Wanted to share an abbreviated version of my story and hope it can help someone else. Before I do, in no way am I saying my situation is applicable to others - just want to share

I've had chronic neck and upper shoulder pain for almost 10 years. My first rib on the left side has been in a fixed position and felt as if it would pop through my skin. My scalenes so taut that I felt they would snap at any given moment. My arm and hand often fell asleep, especially at night. I have tried everything to fix this (and I mean everything) short of having a first rib resection (I was considering flying up to Boston to see the doc up there).

Two years ago I had an inkling that breathing may be an issue. I tried to work on breathing with my diaphragm. That lasted 2 weeks and I never could get the hang of it.

Fast forward 2 years and I'm coming off a a few unsuccessful botox injections. My wife and I have also been dealing with some postural issues that my 9 year old daughter has. As she's gotten older, her shoulders have become more sloped and pulled forward. We've seen specialist after specialist and nobody could give us an answer until this last one. The doc sent her to a therapist that told us her issue has to do with her breathing.

Suddenly, the thoughts that I had 2 years ago about my breathing were validated. I began to recall feedback I was given as a kid - that I gasped, for air through my mouth when talking. I started paying attention to the way I breathed and noticed that I had a habit of breathing through my mouth. I am sure I don't have to tell anyone that breathing through the mouth is usually shallow and makes use of neck and upper chest muscles.

1 1/2 months ago I committed to breathing through my nose exclusively as nothing else was working. I bought a chinstrap to make sure my mouth stayed shut at night and went to an ENT to verify I had no obstructions that would cause me to breath through my mouth. He found nothing major, but suggested a sleep study based on some of my feedback I'd given and determined I also have sleep apnea (I've been using a CPAP machine for about a week).

I will tell you that changing the way I breathe has been one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It's just not natural to be that aware of your breathing, but you have to be if you are going to change it. The breathing is getting easier, but it's still not there yet.

Having said that, I can tell you that the muscles in my neck have relaxed significantly. The muscles are almost to the point where they feel like one mass instead of being so tight that I could single out each muscle individually (hope that makes sense). I still have some pain, but after 9.5 years, I expect to have it for a while longer as those affected muscles heal and those that may have been inhibited are strengthened. I also expect things to get better as the CPAP therapy is optimized with the thinking that as I stop breathing at night, the gasping for air is using those same neck muscles and thus aggravating them.

Again, not saying that the issues others are having are breathing related. However, if you've looked a everything else and nothing has worked, taking a look at the way you breathe could prove beneficial.

So have you done a sleep study for your daughter? I'm interested to know if she has sleep apnea as well and if a cpap helps her too! One of the first things I noticed after getting botox was that I could suddenly breathe deeply.

I didn't want to get into her issues too deeply, but she was born with some breathing issues. And even though I'd wondered out loud before about her postural issues and breathing being connected, I didn't dwell on it until we got recent validation. Her issues are now resolved, but breathing patterns she developed persist out of habit. She's currently going to therapy 3 times a week to change her breathing patterns, etc and we are seeing very good results.

Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting that therapy for apnea has had a positive affect on muscle tone and pain. Most of my gains have been a result of breathing correctly during the day. I expect the CPAP to enhance those improvements.

That's good. I had breathing problems when I was young, but now think that is part of what led me to ending up with TOS. I worry about my own daughter getting it... :)

If you've had breathing issues that caused you to breathe in a shallow manner, then it could definitely be the cause of your issues. Think about it - the average person takes 15 to 20,000 breaths a day. If you are using muscles that aren't meant to be the primary breathing muscles (scalenes, pec minor, etc.) They are going to tighten up and possibly become very painful. I'm convinced this was and is my issue. However, it's a very hard concept to wrap your head around unless you've dug into understanding how this could be the case.

In a way, I'm thankful that I've gone through and am going through all of this so that my daughter can avoid the pain I've endured. Our breathing dysfunction seems to something passed down through heredity, although my parents and others were at a disadvantage of not having information readily available (the net).

Can you mention what your symptoms were and how much they have been resolved by fixing your breathing? Also any specific tips and tricks you have tried?
Your advice would be welcome.

I understand you mentioned chronic neck and shoulder pain.. but did you also have nerve pain - tingling, numbness in your fingers or hands? Any particular patterns in your pain and has it reduced?
Also, were there any breathing exercises given to help?

I am thinking of trying these.
http://www.atmabodh.net/pranayama

[QUOTE=Akash;1108213]I understand you mentioned chronic neck and shoulder pain.. but did you also have nerve pain - tingling, numbness in your fingers or hands? Any particular patterns in your pain and has it reduced?
Also, were there any breathing exercises given to help?

I am thinking of trying these.


I did have tingling and numbness, but not a ton (except at night when my left arm fell asleep regardless of position). My pain started out in the junction of my shoulder and neck (towards the back) and gradually expanded to my shoulder blade, and side and front of my neck and upper chest on my left side. I had instances where the outer portion of my hand and wrist would have a burning sensation (this wasn't that often).

I started out doing typical breathing exercises in which I would lie down on my back with a hand on my chest and one on my abdomen and consciously try to breathe using my diaphragm for 5-10 minutes. I have also become very aware of the way I breathe, especially when I'm sitting at my desk at work. The danger here is that becoming so aware of the way you breathe often causes one to over breathe or hyperventilate. I did this quite often in the beginning, but I'm getting better. Again, because I knew that I had a habit of breathing with my mouth and that mouth breathing = shallow breathing, concentrating on breathing through my nose has been my focus.

As for symptom and reduction in pain, I would estimate a 60% reduction in pain over the 1st month in a half. My first rib which had been stuck for 9.5 years is now mobile again and my muscle tone in my neck has been reduced by about 75-80% for most muscles (scalenes still have a way to go, but as I mentioned before, my night breathing is still probably aggravating them, so until that's completely fixed, I may still have an issue there).

Here's some advice I'll give you if you think breathing is an issue - ask loved ones and friends to give you some feedback about your breathing. It's hard to make a self assessment as your breathing patterns tend to change when you become aware.

Hope some of this helps.

Thank you. I will explore correcting my breathing and hopefully have something to report back!!

So, a quick update - It's been 7 months and I can say that I'm about 95% better. The only thing I've been doing is making sure that I'm breathing correctly (through my nose and using my diaphragm). The change in the muscle tone on the affected side has been dramatic and the pain is more of an ache these days. Going to take a bit more time, but it's getting there.

As I mentioned initially, I'm not saying breathing is the issue for everyone. I was hopeless and had tried this once before, only to give up after a few weeks when I wasn't getting results fast enough. This time I stuck to it and am seeing the pay-off. Hoping somebody else can get some of the same benefits and avoid surgery if possible.