Hi Gbsb,

I had tos surgery July 2005 (first rib resection and scalenectomy supraclavicularly)

I had pt the following october to January and it was hell.....did all they asked
did first slow stuff....IFC, HEAT, TENS, then they did stretching and movements then I moved up to exercises.....slowly and did no theraband EVER EVER EVER it makes tos worse no overhead as well......but I was started on weights and did well then I was started on treadmill and all hell broke loose I went into same pain as pre surgery...so as for PT i say it sucks!!!!! tht is my professional opinion as a nurse...obviously not in all cases but for me it made me way worse!!!

hope you find the right thing to get help
hugs,
Victoria

I wonder why the treadmill caused troubles -
walking or running?
holding on the the supports/rails?

did you ever figure it out?

Hi Jo,

I was doing a fast walk with arms swinging comfortably at side....but face and ears and neck started to go numb after about a month on the treadmill.....eeekkkk not a good idea anyhow with the thumping on the treadmill every step I am pretty sure my other pre surgery physio told me never to use the treadmill for that reason and to use the bike....hate the bike so now I do yoga at home....

love and hugs,
Victoria

Hello,
I just want to add, that you should always be careful with PT when you don`t feel better afterwards. In a german forum about TOS they said how dangerous it is. So you are the indicator and not the therapist. A reaction only last some hours after therapy but not days.

In my case, the vascular surgeon (I have arterial TOS and raynauds) is strictly against all kind of stimulation therapy as TENS is. He says, the irritation is too much for the nervs.

Take care!!!
Barbara

I think lifting weights would be wrong because of the pressure you put on the TOS areas to hold them before or after surgery. I have tried wights even now 6 years after surgery and I can't do them.

Also I use the treatmills and do ok if I just keep my hands on the rails.

Victoria, what I found with the swinging of the arms it makes things worse. I take walks in the summer time as high as 5 miles and I can't let my arms swing, I either have to keep them in my pockets or keep them as still as I can and also fold them at times.

Even after TOS surgery we still have some of the symptoms from what I have seen of myself and other people that have had surgery. I still can't look at clothes in a store on a high clothes rack nor hang clothes on a high clothes line. I lost the numbness and tingling after the surgery and most of the pain until I over use.

What I found also that even massage therapy would make me hurt for a few days but as time went on I could see the improvement. With the PT'ers moving our muscles, triggerpoints and other parts around when they work on us we can't help but hurt. It's just that we have to make sure that the pain is calming down and that we see some difference.

Ada

Good Mornin' Guys!
Or good whatever it is when you get here.
Wow! I amazed at the amount of posts on this thread.
I'm just getting started today so I'll be going back to re-read what everyone wrote.
gibbrn-Right on with your comments about the tread mill.
I've put on about 60 pounds since this started. Have been doing a lot of walking just to clear my head and to try and get excersize and circulation.
I believe my pain I have once I get walking is from swinging my arms. I don't swing them intentionally like I'm some power walker but just the normal movement from walking causes serious pain.
Still not sure if it's arm swing or impact of footsteps. I was late for PT one day and ran to the PT office (normally a five minute walk).
I was in pain as soon as I got in the door. Running is out of the question.
My question is.....Is it impact? Or was the increased tightening of the upper body and swinging of my arms from running that caused the increase in pain.
Sorry to hear you have trouble with the treadmill but glad to know I'm not the only one who pays for recreational/excersize walking.

My PT didn't explicitly say don't use the treadmill - they just steered me towards the elliptical machine, and said don't use your arms. at ALL. The nice thing about the elliptical is that its low low impact. Although, the last couple of days i've noticed some numbness in my hands. That might be the way i hold my hands tho. I pretty much had to do light weights because all of this TOS...stuff... started after L. shoulder surgery, so my left arm had atrophied greatly. however, I think i need to go back to PT because I've hit a plateau, and haven't been able to increase weights in like 3 or 4 weeks.

Hi Guys,

I too experienced excruciating pain when i went for a walk early on in my TOS dx. I asked my PT whay and she said that when you swing your arms you are getting a lot of movement in the CT junction at T1 and that is where that diabolical 1st rib connects. So the swinging irriates the joint and it all just goes downhill from there.

Pt steered me to the bike too.

Hope everyone has a painfree day

I only used light 2-3lb weights as it was working the other muscles in my back and I was ok with all of that it was the other things....I had to do overhead stretch to get the bar to do the latisimi dorsi pull downs....it was just a real mess....I'll stick to my light yoga and recommend it for everyone it is amazing and the results to your relaxation is also beneficial.

I found keepinig my arms straight was worse I had to move them a little or I would be in a prolonged position which sets me off to a flare.....I was doing natural movements but I guess the faster I move the faster my arms move.....

As to the run to the PT office could be when you run you don't notice how tight you are holding your shoulder and neck muscles....experiment and see if you can conciously relax your shoulder and neck....progressive relaxation....look it up once you learn it you can use it forever is a good technique to put under your belt!! you will find yourself doing body checks where you make sure you have relaxed neck muscles and make sure your shoulder is relaxed as well........

take care all
hugs and love,
Victoria

I get massage every two weeks, but would love once a week!!! It does hurt for the first few days then things settle down a bit!

victoria-
what kind of yoga do you do?
just curious.
johann