I was 3 weeks away from surgery and convinced NOT to go through with it. I have bilateral cervical ribs and arterial compression.

PM me if you'd like to read my blog or go to PRI website for more info. I hope to be a PRT someday, but this is not to promote me or my blog - I gain nothing financial in suggesting this. My blog does not even have advertisements. PLEASE find yourself a PRI - PT and give it a try.

I feel I should not post my own blog, but if you think it worthwhile, please feel free to post it! I passionately believe that this is going to help me.

http://posturalrestoration.com/

I have tried, it is cool until you start to work, symptoms come back.

Cruel reality of tos that drive me mad.

btw i think it's like all pt treatment..

Questions:

How long have you been doing it? How much has it helped?

boytos mentioned that it backfired on him when the work increased. What was your experience?

What are your original and on-going TOS symptoms?

What is your blog url? If it is non-commercial, I don't see any problem with posting it.

Btw I became interested in this as well after reading the paper that boytos posted, but in the entire state of California there is only one practitioner listed on the web site and she's hundreds of miles away...

I'm still curious about it though. The paper mentioned the patient flying out to see someone to get the exercises (IIRC).

Chroma> The one CA therapist is next to me. I've dumped so much money into worthless therapies that I'm a little burned out, but I'll definitely give a call. Report back what they claim they can do for me.

I have to admit that the first round of PT with a PRC did not work for my TOS, but that is because she was treating me for my back. Not that what she did, did not help, but she did not have enough training for cervical ribs.

You need to understand the principles behind PRI. I probably should blog it, so it's out there for all. But, the PRI feels that we are all born with asymmetry. Heart on one side and Liver on the other. This effects the size and shape of our diaphragm. We all have a weak left diaphragm and so we tend to stand on our right leg. Then add in all our learned behaviors, sports, life and work. These individualized demands on our lungs force us to compensate with our bodies and use muscles that we shouldn't use and turn-off muscles we should use. PRI trains us to turn on muscles we should use and turn off muscles we shouldn't use to strengthen our left diaphragm.

But, the results are very short lived if not practiced every day. Because your body will go back into your life-long patterns. This is not something you can give up on. It is something that should become part of your daily ritual, like showering and brushing your teeth. I am not surprised that boytos had problems when he went back to old patterns. I would guess the therapist did not fully explain this. Mine didn't. I had to learn by taking the seminars (I am a strength conditioning specialist). I really think PRI should offer layman's courses so people can understand the WHY!

I am going to the head honcho in 3 weeks. And I am studying more. If you did get relief, then that tells me you are on the right track and you must re-train your body. BoyTOS I really encourage you to make another effort. Consider yourself an athlete training - Every day.

You might call around to different PTs in the area. Ask if any have gone to the courses, they might not be PR-certified, but they are trained and thus not on the website.

They have not promised me that I won't have to have surgery - but I sure am going to try to recondition my body before I get cut. This is not a perfect surgery and many people just swap symptoms. But, surgery is forever and a slippery slope. I just believe that keeping yourself whole is ideal.

My blogs:

http://yogacolorwellness6.blogspot.c...-when-you.html

http://yogacolorwellness6.blogspot.c...ed-to-get.html

In case of rsi tos, symptoms that gradually increase are due to perineural fibrosis from nerve irritation.

I am not going to argue with you. You found it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't. I believe that it works for me - but it has taken persistence on my part and finding the right person with the right training.

RSI sucks - can you find a way out of that pattern? Scar tissue can re-absorb when the nerve is no longer being irritated. I have perineural fibrosis from nerve irritation, too. Hence why they want to slice my pec minor. I know this gets very emotionally driven. I cried when I realized I just might not have to have surgery - but avoiding surgery is not without work involved. Perhaps, because my reasons are obvious - cervical rib - then it's easier to find an answer. I don't know.

I do think with persistent PRI practice, you can re-set your posture and then you no longer are in a posture that would irritate your nerve. But it takes daily commitment.

Some people are addicted to their conditions and define themselves by their problems. Some people don't want answers. To solve the problem means they lose their identity. They also get addicted to surgeries (and the attention they get from it) and to pain drugs. I am not saying that about you - boytos. I am just saying that is NOT what I am or have any intention of becoming. I don't want anymore pain, this works for me and so I am willing to work for it.

I hope you find your answers and find yourself pain free. I find PRI to be a much different approach then convention physical therapy.

Here are some things I know about myself:
I know that my posture is a terrible companion to my RSI and my TOS-symptoms.
I know that PT of all sorts caused immediate and/or latent inflammation of my nerves and tendons.
Therefore, I've tackled my inflammation problem with something that works for me, acupuncture, in order to address any sort of strengthening.

I could stand to get my posture whipped into shape still. I know my body's more equipped to handle such things now that I have less inflammation.