[Joshuamr]

Hey new to the forum and seeking advice/help. I was in a bad car accident in April 2011 and was hospitalized for 3 days with a contusion of the left hip and was unable to walk for a couple weeks. Severe lower back/neck pain right away. Mri X &xray of back negative. Doc said prob soft tissue damage offered cortisone shots which i declined. Few months later started getting a dull ache in right shoulder which I ignored for months until it became more severe. Shoulder started to feel numb/pressure constantly. Arm started feeling weak. Started getting pain in my shoulder blade area. Then finally my hand started locking up on me. When grasping or moving my arm certain ways my fingers (middle and index mostly, but sometimes ring and thumb) lock in a downward position and remain like that until I relax my arm then it kind of releases and I can slowly open them. I have had an mri of neck which revealed a herniation at c5-6 level and a budging disc at c6-7 level. The Neuro said it wasn't effecting the nerves though and wasn't the cause. Had an Emg done which revealed ulnar nerve entrapment at elbow only....which controls the fingers that I am not having a problem with leaving me further confused. I just recentely had a regular MRI of the brachial plexus but got a phone call from the nurse yesterday saying it was negative. Waiting to go back to the Neuro in a week. Read up on TOS and found that lots of people had negative mri's and emg's with TOS and similar symptoms as myself. Was gonna ask my Nero about possible TOS....just wondering if anyone had similar problems/pain and difficulty getting a diagnosis. I have been getting NO sleep lately waking up with this pain/pressure in shoulder and shoulder blade region. Also feels like pressure in chest at times. Sooooo tired of it and not knowing what's wrong...hand symptoms getting worse and praying for an answer. Sorry for the lengthy post, seeing similar stories gave me some hope for a possible answer to my pain. Was also wondering if anyone experienced hand problems with TOS other than numbness and pain. Like loss of function.
Posted this message yesterday in another thread but saw a link to post it here. Thanks

[Jomar]

Have you been able to try any expert PT or chiropractic?

It could be soft tissue/myofasical causes and some expert hands on therapy will be of help.

things like
ultrasound, massage, heat/ice, low level laser, IF stim, and manual trigger point work if those are found.
triggerpoint info -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread125577.html

How is your overall posture - head/shoulders forward of body?

useful sticky thread -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html

[Joshuamr]

I just finished a few months of PT and was a regular at the chiropractor. My PT felt that my shoulder pain and hand problems were stemming from my first rib. He said that on my affected side my first rib was elevated much higher. He had me doing exercises to try to correct this. A lot of massage, heat and ice.....symptoms would temporarily ease but sometimes feel worse the next day. From what I've read about TOS is that the obstruction can be between your clavicle and first rib....if I'm not mistaken. The stabbing/crushing pain in my shoulder is onset by my arm extending in certain ways and the pain feels like its in the area of my clavicle. There is just that constant pressure/numb/heavy feeling in the shoulder constantly which also travels into my shoulder blade.
My posture is not too bad I would like to think...but I never had any issues before my accident. It seems to me my affected side shoulder is lower than my other. Also when driving I have a habit of placing my arm behind the headrest of the passenger seat, within minutes my hand starts to get pins and needles every time. Well I'm done rambling on.....thanks for the reply! Glad I found this outlet to vent....helps to know your not alone in this long battle of finding out what's wrong with you.

[Jomar]

Look thru our sticky threads when you have time - it will really give you a crash course in TOS & various therapies & self help -
Useful TOS info - http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html
Trigger point info - http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread125577.html
Drs & PTs - http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread135.html

Did PT do any hands on top rib mobilization technique?
*basically they place their hands over the top rib and press down or pull down with steady pressure to see if the rib drops at all.
quite a few vids on youtube showing various ways to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/results?q=to...-8&sa=N&tab=w1

With you exercising to affect the rib change- it stresses the already stressed muscles so they brace and it makes more problems than before.

A PT or DC needs to do this for you, so your muscles are not fighting against the change. Or even a friend can do it so you can relax into it and let it happen. *if you are in spasms those need to be mostly resolved before the rib will stay down.

[Joshuamr]

Sorry was away for a few days....the PT did do a technique that is similar to what you are describing.....felt some relief when the PT was applying pressure on that rib. Just had a bad couple days with the pain....feel desperate for answers when the pain flairs up. All the links were very informative and helpful thank you. Thank you for your response and all the time you put into helping everyone here. Off to bed sorry for the short and choppy post, exhausted, and hoping to get a pain free nights sleep.