[brmr19]

wow, today has been difficult. does anyone have problems where just sitting makes your symptoms worse. it seems if i sit normal in a chair with good posture, my symptoms start to act up after about five to ten minutes. neck tightens and get shoulder and chest pain.

[Jomar]

I used to have troubles going to drs /dentists offices and having to sit in their waiting room chairs.
The arms were always at the wrong height and width for me I'd either have to scrunch my arms close or have them out way from my body and too high..

But some times just sitting too long in a certain chair would bother me, I probably have some mild chronic myofascial pain going on too, related to past multiple RSIs from work I'm sure.

If you can lay out on the floor in the corpse pose , relax and do some diaphragmatic breathing, and gentle slow movements for whole body easy stretching.

The fascia is body wide & all connected, stickiness of it will add to our troubles. see Sharon Butler's book or website for more details.

[SD38]

Originally Posted by brmr19

wow, today has been difficult. does anyone have problems where just sitting makes your symptoms worse. it seems if i sit normal in a chair with good posture, my symptoms start to act up after about five to ten minutes. neck tightens and get shoulder and chest pain.

yep!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know posture is key but straightening up is taxing for the muscles. Strange thing is that my posture doesn't look too bad yet if I pull my neck in towards my body or pull my shoulders back slightly its SSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO damn achy!
Anyway try to relax and keep your chin up, ( or perhaps not, as it may make your neck spasm).

[Sheri_TOS]

Sitting - can it be that the arm(s) are not supported well enough? I find that my arm has to be resting on the arm of the chair or I will definitely flare my symptoms.

[chroma]

I'm just like Sheri_TOS. Without arm support, I will get worse. I even made my arm rests higher with folded towels.

But I also just get uncomfortable sitting in front of the computer all day long (I'm a software developer). The book "3 Minutes to a Pain-Free Life" by Weisberg has a scathing indictment of the evils of chair sitting if you want at least one PT's perspective on the subject. (The book also has a great stretch set, even if the title is overpromised.)

So to deal with that, I bought a desk that raises and lowers so that I can divide my computer time between standing and sitting. I was reminded very quickly that my TOS arm still needs support as it would turn red, veins bulge and pain set in. I tried to go without hoping my body would adapt, but it just got worse and worse and then the secondary symptoms started to creep back like sternal pain and dizziness.

This made me dig harder re: TOS. I started shoving my first rib down which would give me noticeable relief that lasted 20 mins to 3 hours or so. Well then what's pulling the rib back up? Anatomy says the two scalene muscles are the only things that can.

So I started neck stretches twice a day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Pgz9plSd0

If my neck is really tight or cold before hand, I do this neck massage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duSNnBnqFts

After the neck stretches, I shove the rib down.

I've been getting great results! Secondary symptoms are all but gone. Arm feels normal most of the time. This has been a breakthrough for me.

Another thought on chairs, I sometimes feel "bleh" sitting in my recliner. Seems that being sunk into a smooshy chair is bad for circulation.

And finally, I use break reminder software so that I never sit in a chair for more than an hour. I noticed I felt better the first day.

HTH

[brmr19]

I will try these tips chroma, well on the right side that is. The left side had the surgery and I dont want to jump into surgery on the right any time soon. I know the right has slowly been getting worse, my hand turns white just raising it the arm to shoulder height

[agabor]

from my experience, airplane seats have gotta be the worst

[brmr19]

sitting on a bench watching my daughter cheer at a game was brutal

[chroma]

Originally Posted by brmr19

sitting on a bench watching my daughter cheer at a game was brutal

What is it about sitting that you think aggravates things? Is it lack of arm support? Posture? Something else?

Are you thinking of trying the Intellishirt Posturecue V-Tee that was mentioned on another thread?

[brmr19]

I think lack of arm support. I did look up the shirt and I am going to order one. Just started therapy for my last surgery to repair torn bicep tendon and labrum, so I have to wait awhile cause it is hard enough to get a loose fitting shirt on right now. I have an ultrasound scheduled for the 12th to check right side which has been slowly getting worse. As soon as I raise my arm to almost shoulder height my hand turns white. I have to make some decisions because I run out of time at work next week and disability won't be know till the end of month or April so I might have a lapse with health care.