Had 1st rib resection 4 months ago, was great until about 2 weeks ago and had my first flare up (lasted ~ 4 days), then went back to normal. Now another flare up today, pretty bad (pain ~ 8/10 at worst) with tingling and numbing and a swelling feeling, like if my bones in my hand were exploding (takes some imagination to describe TOS pain haha). Also huge temp difference between my left and right side (my roommate was super shocked when I showed her), and nothing has helped so far. But the funny thing is, I haven't done anything to aggravate it. All I've done is read! with good posture!!

Could this just be a flare up, or did the operation not help at all? For those who've had TOS relapses, how long post-op did your symptoms come back?

Please help, I'm scheduled to get the other side operated on next week and this new development (along with the pneumothorax and suprascapular nerve damage that I got from my first operation) are not making me very happy

This is one of the things that can happen, you are feeling pretty much OK after surgery, they don't rx any expert PT, and many slip into the old habits or do too much too soon.
Or it could even be inner scar tissue showing up.
Some develop scar tissue quickly and some it takes years.

I would ask for some expert TOS PT , body work & massage.

Drink lots of fluids to keep the tissues hydrated.

For now do gentle range of motion and very gentle stretches and the corpse pose with deep breathing to relax.


Reading?? holding a book up?? or propped on a pillow or table?
but still the head is usually tilted or forward and can set those neck muscles off again.
our head weighs 8-12 lbs.

when you read/study, lay on the bead (on your back) with a pillow or two behind your head so that your chin is touching your chest. This causes more space/slack in the thoracic outlet and reduces compression in the area. I did this for 2 years and was able to get through it with my TOS. Hopefully it helps you.

Just beware that this posture is not good for your cervical spine. I believe that my TOS symptoms originally led to my forward head posture...which contributed to cervical kyphosis (exacerbated by a congenitally narrow spinal canal)...which eventually led to cervical fusion surgery.

Damned if you do...damned if you don't!

I had some minimal improvement from month 2 to month 3 after I had surgery. Then it all came back and then some. For me, the culprit is scar tissue.

Reading and typing make my pain much worse. I can imagine you're doing a lot of both during finals. The combination of tilting my neck and extending my arms somewhat when I read is a killer. And heavy books are worst. For big books, I download them to a Kindle so I don't have to deal with the weight.

With TOS, you don't necessarily have to "do" anything. Sometimes just doing things that used to be normal is too much.

Good luck,
Kelly

I had a similar result.
Will be seeing surgeon next week and will be bringing up continued pain after the recurrence.
I went ahead with the second surgery at the same point you are at. At first I thought I had made a big mistake with lots of pain and no use of either arm. Though just over 2 months down the line things seem to be improving(not on the original side).
Discuss the results of first op before having second. I think I would have waited longer, though I'm glad I got them both out of the way.
Good luck

Thanks to both of you!! I will definetly try reading with my head propped up next time. Typing will be interesting, but it's one of those things I'll just have to get through for the next few days as I write my final papers (gotta love the week before Uni finals!), I have yet to install Dragon Speak but it's on my To-Do list as of now!

Hi everyone,
I have been suffering from chronic, painful, violent muscle spasms, that stem from TOS. I have been here a while now and have made a few friends. We have all seen the same Dr.'s in the L.A. area. I was one step away from a surgery and Dr. Sheldon Jordan saved me! I had seen him previously and had Botox injections, but that wore off on me rather quickly. Dr. Jordan has a new machine called Mc Rf. It's radio frequency, that penetrates the skin and stops the underlying muscle spasms! I have not felt this type of relief ever. Feels like my old self again.I was unsure about the procedure and was Dr. shopping. Even Dr. Hugh Gelabert at UCLA said that Dr. Jordan was a God at helping people who are suffering from TOS. I was trying to find a Dr in my network... Insurance has been absolutely horrible to me about this condition. They don't understand it. Please feel free to ask me anything about it or do yourself a favor if you are suffering from TOS. Go see Dr. Jordan!!!
Best, Mitsy

Thank you to all of you! I've tried the pillow things, which has helped a lot (not completely though..I think my extreme stress right now is tightening up my scalenes). I find that my TOS comes back strong after about an hour of studying..or about 15 minutes of typing. I've read that the corpse pose is really good...how do you do it?

On a sidenote, I've read from so many people that their PTs just don't know what they're dealing with with TOS. Almost makes me want to specialize in TOS physical therapy..haha

Hit google and youtube for corpse pose and you'll get everything you need.