I think I might be engaging my scalenes when my diaphragmatic breath runs out of space. Especially when sitting down during which the belly can be compressed. So I did some searching. There are some nice articles below. Not sure if they have been posted in this forum before, but nothing wrong with a review!

The Respiration Connection
http://saveyourself.ca/articles/resp...connection.php

In this next one, I cracked up when I came upon the diagram that said "the anatomical Bermuda Triangle". Any TOS person has to love it!

Singing, Breath and Scalenes
http://saveyourself.ca/articles/sing-breath-scals.php

Massage Therapy for Neck Pain, Chest Pain, Arm Pain and Upper Back Pain
http://saveyourself.ca/articles/perf...4-scalenes.php

Enjoy.

Hi Chroma
GREAT LINKS.
I also think the whole breathing issue contributes so much to TOS.
I have never thought about this before or made a connection but as a child I suffered from pneumonia which took me months to recover from.
I now think that this is probably where I developed my poor ( shallow breathing) from.

QUESTION: Is this also why I occassionally suffer from dizziness and headaches??? .....Lack of sufficient oxygen, I think maybe so.

My main aim now is to focus on the breath.

Belly breathing really does take off so much pressure to the thoracic region.
However after years of the wrong kind of breathing it's quite tough to get used to and use the belly breathing technique.
Best wishes
SD38

I had a dizzy flash this morning and could have sworn that just preceding it, I had STOPPED breathing. Like I just paused. Not sure why I would do that, but I was leaning forward at the time. Strange stuff.

Re: your comment on the difficulty of changing breathing patterns, this quote from the "The Respiration Connection" seems significant:

The unconscious STOPPED breathing is something that I do quite often. Especially if I'm doing a lazy activity like watching TV. All of a sudden I realise that I'm still and my body automatically takes in a deep breath.
AGAIN..... Great links Chroma.
It's good to read such stuff because it really does help you to focus on your breathing technique.
GP's don't help, its down to ourselves to improve on health as best as possible- so this forum and tips by yourself and others is invaluable.
THANKS

Came across Chroma's 2011 thread re "Breathing and Scalenes" recently in the process of doing some research, and wanted to bring the links she provided to you guys' attention.

Whether they are a cause or an effect of TOS, the articles written by Paul Ingraham and published on SaveYourself.ca about the role of respiratory and upper body postural dysfunction in this crazy disorder I think shed a lot of light.

Would love to hear your opinions and experiences re this stuff as it relates to your treatment(s) for TOS! Have any of you used a respiratory therapist, to learn diaphragmatic breathing, for example? Or a bodyworker attuned to the postural issues we face?

Maybe I'm slow, but I've just never put the two (breathing and posture) together before in a way that made so much profound sense!

Thanks,
Alison

-- My dizziness was due to super tight jaw muscles due to TMJ due to habitual clenching. I fixed (or rather improved) that with "The Quieting Reflex" by Charles Stroebel. I still get a tight jaw, but not nearly as bad as before.

-- For diaphragmatic breathing, I learned that earlier from meditation books and martial arts classes, but:

-- I have trouble breathing through my nose due to deviated septum, swollen turbinates and nasal polyps. My scalenes often engage automatically to assist with breathing. I catch them kicking in as I fall asleep for example. I think I will have to get my nose fixed to get rid of this.

-- For posture, I've used "Get it Straight" by Janice Novak, "Somatics" by Thomas Hanna, YouTube videos and blog posts. I also had a chiro examine my posture and describe what he saw which was useful.

-- Another good source on posture and stress is "Somatics" by Thomas Hanna.

-- I've started reading the SaveYourself.ca ebooks, hoping to master the art of working on my own neck muscles. The material is interesting, although much wordier than it needs to be.

Saw the recent thread by Dawgilama (and the exchange of ideas with Eight and Akash on the topic), and thought this 2011 thread started by Chroma concerning the role of upper body postural and respiratory dysfunction in the development of TOS might be of some interest to you guys.

The writing style of this Canadian blogger/technical writer keeps it entertaining and, with his background I think, informative at the same time. Makes me think I need breathing lessons, I know that! But I'd probably settle for some vocal coaching, in a pinch…

Alison

Thx for bumping this up.

PS: I thought chroma was a guy.

PPS: whenever I think I found something new and I google it, I find chromate already researched and found it. I am like a decade behind what some folks I this forum know.

Chroma,

I apologize to you for assuming you were of the female persuasion! I know some guys can get pretty prickly about stuff like that. I can assure you, I meant no harm…

Please forgive me? Pretty please?

Freakin' chicks, man!

Alison

I'm plotting my revenge...



No worries. How personal could it be behind a screen? Now if we met in person and you called me "she" after seeing me, that would be problematic.