I thought this site was gone -the old link I had quit working - I found the site again and it's working now.


[ Welcome to BodymindResources.com's presentation of the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome class! Today we will be discussing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, how it happens and how to treat it.

What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a pinching or pulling of the brachial plexus (a bundle of nerves in the shoulder/neck area). It can also entail a pinching off of an artery that runs underneath the clavicle (subclavian artery). This causes numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands that is often mistaken for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The impairment of the brachial plexus or subclavian artery can come about in many different ways. It can happen due to injury, vascular disease, lesions, and many other little things that can go wrong. The most common cause and the one we are concerned with today, however, is a mechanical cause of nerve pinching muscular tension and connective tissue adhesion caused by improper body mechanics and dysfunctional repetitive movements of the arms and rib cage.

What is the Brachial Plexus?

thoracic outlet syndrome : brachial plexus

The brachial plexus is a bundle of nerves whose roots begin mainly in the cervical (neck) spine. These roots create a bundle of nerves that start to merge into more organized grouping as they move towards the arms. This bundle of nerves eventually becomes the radial nerve, the ulnar nerve, and the median nerve that we discussed in the Carpal Tunnel class. Since this bundle can become the median nerve, you can see why Thoracic Outlet Syndrome can be mistaken for carpal tunnel. This is because it is often the same impingement just higher up the route of the nerve.

These nerve, like any nerves, when pinched, lose some of their blood flow and ability to transmit impulses. This results in numbness, tingling and/or pain. If you treat this soon enough, you should be able to quickly restore function to the nerve route. If you wait too long you can delay recovery or even permanently damage the nerve so the time to act is always NOW!]

MORE on the link-
http://www.bodymindresources.com/car...acictheory.htm

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Welcome to the
Heal Thyself Series

To enter this free series, simply click on the lock and key at the bottom of the page. It is very important that you spend one full week integrating the lessons of each class into your body. Please do not rush through the classes. This material has the possibility of changing your physical state in a big way. One week per class. Have fun and get everything you can out of each section of the series.
To enter
click here - http://www.bodymindresources.com/doorways.htm

Has anyone tried any of this yet?
I did many of the suggested moves and stretches 3 or 4 yrs ago, until the link broke.
They must have updated it or I just didn't understand it all the first time I found the site.

I keep reading parts that are so interesting like this-

[Fascia (connective tissue) is comprised of three main components. It contains collagen fibers (which are long thick strands of tissue layering on top of each other like a thick webbed matting), elastin fibers (which give the tissue a very minimal ability to stretch), and ground substance (which is the glue-like goop that holds it all together). Now this ground substance has a very special ability about it. It is capable of turning from solid, to gel, and back to solid based on the demands put upon it. When we have chronically contracted muscle tissue, the ground substance hardens and shrinks around the contracted musculature to help brace the area. This also happens in the form of scar tissue whenever there is an injury. It is the body's attempt to brace and support a weakened area. The trouble, however, is that this cements our problems in place. If you have been holding onto your musculature and walking incorrectly and such, the connective tissue will harden to freeze your body into this dysfunctional position. This would be necessary were you planning to continue these dysfunctional behaviors, but if you are a student of the Heal Thyself Series, our goal is to change these behaviors so we will have to alter the structure of your fascia in order to change. We will have to melt the ground substance and allow it to harden again, but this time when it hardens, it will support our bodies in the new and improved movement patterns and muscular tensions. In order to release the fascia, we will need to know some of the rules under which it operates.]

the class I of the Heal Thyself Series explains about the muscle, bone, connective tissues and how they can be changed.
http://www.bodymindresources.com/Cla...ass1theory.htm

There may be parts of it that will really help you , so read thru it and do some gentle experimenting- but don't force anything.