has anyone here strengthened their core muscles and noticed big improvements in tos/other nerve pain?

from what ive read, it would at least improve breathing..maybe get the rib to lower a tiny bit. obv it would help with posture. i can have good posture but i can't hold it for very long

I need to work on my core.... shouldn't make TOS any worse to do core work - as long as you find a way to not set of any flares.

I did the Egoscue exercises which combine some strengthening with some stretching. Most of the stretches are passive where you let gravity do the work. This helps with relaxation too.

Why don't you give them a try and let us know if it works for you? The books are fairly cheap.

I was able to get many of his books from the library, I just made notes & sketches to remind me of the positions that I liked doing & worked for me.

I have a whole folder of stuff I printed off websites and notes I made long ago (03-04) I think I just had dial up back then...

i jsut typed this long response and lost it.

oh well.

according to the wii fit standing test i took last year, before i even really hurt myself, i have the stability of someone who is 40ish (i am 27)


do you think it helped lowered your ribs at all?

I don't yet have a strong sense of whether my ribs are lowered or raised. They always seem to be in the same place.

I did not get total relief from my symptoms as I still have vascular issues including the edema above the collar bone and lightheadedness. I did get 95% relief of pain my pec minor, shoulder and forearm.

Serratus anterior acts as a rib stabiliser, so you may wanna give that a hit.
go to youtube and type in Serratus anterior wall excersize its got a really good excersize how to strengthen it.

yeah i told someone about the serratus anterior, maybe it was you? that and my lower traps are nonexistent!

the problem i have with any strengthening is my t-spine is really tight so like
it was doing better, but today just sitting..my back is warm. the muscles/nerves/tissue whatever around it are so tight that in the past i felt uneasy all the time and i can't stretch it. that irritates it. strengthening around the area can flare it up too.

if i had it my way i would NEVER SIT at all, have my manual therapist work on my spine and neck, and then mild strengthening.

i guess i dont have edema but sometimes it feels like it. i get really lightheaded too.

thats good to know about pec minor. my pecs are too strong.


i can tell if my ribs are raised when i turn my head from side to side. i used to be able to practically spin my head around, now i can't go as far and sometimes it itches

well i've only been doing this exercise for a week now and i can officially say i believe it is possible for me to breathe through my diaphragm now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjtARqa7Tgk

video is a great explanation of how to breathe better, she only has a few videos but they're all good