How ?

1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2953353/

Exercice 2 only. 1 session per hour maximum. 1 session = 2 times.


2) Sleeping in "U" (entire arms and shoudlers supported) + neck relaxed with ergonomic pillow : work very well. My blood flow improve in 30 secondes no joke !! with relaxation i feel all my scalenes relaxing between colarbone and first rib. Incredible.


3) Supported arm on computer


Had V/A/N TOS from RSI.

Info : The TMJ become relaxed as the scalene become relaxed.

do you have like a crappy diagram/drawing of this..do you support your arm/shoulder just with a blanket underneath?

am i the only one who cant use a pillow at all? i put a towel under my neck and that's it.

i usually feel pretty gross when i wake up so i need to change a few things.

OKay.. red is pillows, all same size. The goal is to support the arms, thereby taking the weight off the neck and shoulder all the night. And you need a pillow that support your neck.

You need to support fully and only what is in red.

thanks a bunch

90/90 hip shift exercise is interesting too bc i am also knock kneed with floppy hips.

Whats the difference between sleeping this way on pillows or sleeping flat on the bed? The only difference i can tell from the diagrams is that is changes the curve in the thoracic spine. i'll still give it a go though, I'll try anything. I sleep with my arms straight and externally rotated. This position feels good for my TOS but sleeping on ones back isn't very comfortable (though i find it impossible to sleep on my side without being woke up by a dead arm). Also are your elbows bent in the picture ? 40% of people with TOS are supposed to have signs of peripheral nerve entrapment as well so it may not be a good position for everyone eg.if you have ulna nerve entrapment at the elbow

Thanks for the above article. Will give the exercises a try

The difference is shoulder and arms are fully supported. It is not the case when sleeping flat.

(i guess)

When your are sitting, something that support back and shoulder fully is good, i think.

Ive thought about cutting a full length memory foam topper just short of the width of the shoulders so that when one sleeps on it allows the shoulders to fall backwards thereby opening the thoracic outlet but who knows whether it would be comfortable. The problem with mattresses is that they tend to sink more where the body is relative to the shoulders and hence push the shoulders forwards and inwards which is exactly what you don't want

Are you still 95% good?

For the exercise, you mean the "Sternal postitional swiss ball stretch" in figure 2?

Do you let the head lay all the way back on the ball?

POSITIONAL SLEEPING is a tough one for us (HA as if we can sleep w/o pain)

Docs say: flat on ur back, pillow and mattress changes. Try this, try that....Makes me wonder what they would resort to if they had TOS
tried everything. The latest comfort is maybe 6 super soft king pillows under the low back to the neck then arms.

Because our circulation is crimped like a hose as we wake to more pain and stiffness. We need to get that circulation moving. What has really help is this video in the morning not that my system can apply all positions. I have to laugh when it is so easy for these people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeL3IvG4iJI

along with Edgelow, Feldenkrais exercises and my personal therapists modalities. Utilize your stretches and modify all non supporting arm movements. Google "morning yoga" and you'll find something to apply to your every day needs

Because i'm back to "real" computer things, my symptoms tend to re-up slowly from finger to forearm. woops

But it's not as bad, for the moment it's not even permanent. But i know it will increase, slowly.