Hi All

Yesterday my physio taped up my shoulders (shoulders back and a little up), so I feel like I'm walking round with a pole up my back...however, the pain levels in my arms has gone right down and I can actually hang them by my sides without the awful pulling/gripping sensations.

Is the idea that this is how my posture should be normally? Or is it just to take the strain off the nerves temporarily? Has anyone else had this? Not looking forward to ripping it off!

Pretty much.

Stand with your hands at your sides, keep your arms at your side and rotate your thumbs away from your body. Your shoulder posture should automatically correct. Hold this shoulder position when you bring your hands back to neutral to locate your ideal postural position.

A few of us have had the kinesiotaping. My problem is that the tape starts pealing off after a few days (you have to be really careful when showering). I found that the IntelliSkin postural garment is much more effective (and more expensive) than kineisiotaping.

www.intelliskin.net

Thanks Marc - will look at intelliskin now - I was actually thinking to myself if only there was a top or brace i could wear to make me stand like this!

Based on the reduction of my pain in this position, can I assume then that my tos is due to posture, and that my posture has caused chronic shortening of scaleni etc over many years?

This may very well be the case. Some muscles will shorten and/or hypertrophy while others atrophy. These imbalances worsen your posture and you get stuck in a vicious cycle.

I always thought my TOS was due to my scalenes but it turns out I had multiple rib disfunctions that were pushing my 1st rib up while my scalenes are actually fine. The IntelliSkin worked wonders for me as I was never able to correct my posture through exercise. I had my left rib resected 8 days ago and I just did the test I posted:
My left shoulder is now already very near to the ideal position while my right is still slumping far forward. This is now making me think that TOS in and of itself can cause the postural problems.

I should add that I think I am in the minority in which the scalenes are not the primary culprit. However, it makes me believe that folks should have their ribs evaluated in addition to the scalenes.

I believe that if you can identify the root of the problem and find the right practitioners early on, surgery can be avoided. It was just a little too late for me.

My scalenes were minimally hypertrophied per a 3D MRI from a few years back. I had constant sensations of strangling pre-MRI, so I'm not sure what their condition is today.

The radiologist who read the MRI said "I would not get out of "it" without a scalenectomy at minimum." So how does one have minimally hypertrophied scalenes and the recommendation to remove them?

With manual PT, my scalenes rarely give me the strangulation feeling now. Over talking, yelling and singing seem to make them scream a bit though. I'm headed to a Coldplay concert now, so I'll see what my scalenes think of it.

I bought the Intelliskin because of Nospam and I love it so far! My PT is even impressed with what I can do wearing it and the lack of negative fall out, especially scapula instability.

Thanks guys! Anne, do you mind me asking if you wear the shirt or bra? I've been looking at other posture braces but most seem to put pressure on the clavicle/plexus area so am thinking these wouldn't be good for tos. Enjoy coldplay!

i still love taping even though it gets itchy scratchy after awhile. its my preferred method.

nospam, that thumb trick is neat.

i still wonder if we have bad posture because we're IN PAIN or we're IN PAIN bc we have bad posture. i guess it just kind of feeds into itself and at this point it doesnt even matter

klm: I wear the Eve shirt, but I think I'm going to get the bra too.

The one con with the shirt is it's ugly. The way it's cut with a high neck, longish sleeves and a GIANT Intelliskin printed on the side kind of limits you from hiding it under clothes, besides a turtleneck! The bra has a scoop neck and no sleeves. The support may be better in the shirt, but I'd be able to wear the bra out of the house. It may also be a cooler option for summer.

A previous brace (Alignmed S3) did make my TOS worse by putting pressure over the clavicle and plexus. So far, I have noticed no increased symptoms when I wear the shirt and the stitching position by the clavicle is fine.

Thanks for importing great music to the US. The last 3 concerts I have seen have all been from the UK.

Before anybody reads this post, I just want to say that this is my OPINION and that it may only make sense to me and my tos.

I believe I got my TOS because I have weak joints that can be unstable. My left shoulder is more unstable because I had an injury to it. I continued to lift weights (chest and bi's the most), swim 3x/week, and surf. Additionally, I worked on excel spreadsheets all day at my job. This helped rotate my left shoulder in just enough that it started irritating my Brachial Plexus (BP). Then the fun began.

This is the conclusion I have come to. Check this site out:
http://www.drnathbrachialplexus.com/...quad/index.php

Dr. Nath is a brachial plexus (bp) injury expert and the muscle/postural problems we have are all too common to him because because it is more obvious in his patient population. Never the less, I believe we are dealing with much of the same development of muscle imbalances, etc.

For the longest time, I thought the muscles were the primary problem and through overuse/repetitive use, the imbalances occurred. Once this happened, this caused compression on the nerve --- and the neuro-vascular problems follow. For a while now, I no longer believe this is the case. I believe that the bp gets injured/irritated. The nerve damage then causes weakness in some muscles and other muscles remain strong. Ultimately, this causes the postural problems --- the inward rotated shoulders, etc. I believe the BP injury causes the intractable muscle imbalances and ultimately the downward spiral into TOS hell ensues. For me, when I am flared up, there is a spot just above my collarbone that causes all my problems. When that nerve is sensitive/inflamed/irritated, the muscles become spasmed and very tight, then the blood flow problems start --- I get light headed and superficial veins in my arms and chest start popping out. Also, my left shoulder starts to creep up and gets higher than the right. I believe it all starts with the nerve getting irritated --- then everything else follows.

Imagine a Dr. looking at one of these kids and telling them they have muscle imbalances and that physical therapy will help straighten them out.

Look at the MRI's and see how the shoulder of the affected side is rotated in. After his mod quad surgery, that is corrected. I have called his office and tried to talk to him to beg him to look into the TOS population to help restore their posture ---- but no luck. I believe that a tos surgery along with a reattachment of the latissimus dorsi and teres major to the outside (lateral aspect) of the humerus (as he does in his mod quad) could be an even better tos surgery with a higher success rate. If I ever get PPO ins, I would like to fly to see him and ask if he would be interested in teaching TOS DR's how to reattach the lat and teres major --- and also explain to them that the BP injury is what is causing the medially rotated shoulder, and all the other postural problems---- that PT is not able to overcome because contractures have developed and nerve problems are the cause of the intense spasms.

Right now I am 60% normal with the medications and possibly the exercise i do. I focus on neuroinflammation,inflammation in general, and muscle inflammation/spasming. My blood flow problems (superficial veins) go away when I focus on these things.

Sorry for this reeeeaaaaallllllllly long post. I just wanted to put my thoughts out there.