Hello fellow tos'ers.
I had tos surgery w/ Dr. P in Texas in june 2013. Got post surgery atelectasis --- my SpO2 dropped when I would lay down -- felt difficult to breathe. Make sure you use that incentive spirometer during recovery. Surgery got me 50% reduction in pain but didn't improve function that much -- still had a lot of probs from my shoulder down my arm. Eventually I did some stretch techniques where I pinned the muscle and stretched it. That really helped. There were so many places where things were stuck together and when I stretched the right muscles the right way, I could hear/feel things crunching, popping, and unsticking. Every time I found one, my pain decreased and function improved dramatically --- and it has lasted for months (so far). It has been the most important part of my rehab. I don't think I would have been able to get things unstuck w/o having surgery first to loosen things up first. My right side is still a problem but it was my better side b4 surgery. My left side is pretty good and my right side is now the problem. I tried the pinning and stretching on the rt side, but it d/n work -- either b/c I don't have things stuck to each other on that side or b/c I haven't had surgery yet to loosen things up. I lean towards the former and not the latter b/c this side always had better funxn --- my collar bone is in the right place and I have always been able to raise my rt arm up w/o much restriction (esp if it isn't flared).

Regarding PT: weights always caused probs. Currently I am doing the stair climber, treadmill, and swimming (backstroke only). However, NO WEIGHTS for me.

Welcome nukenurse.

I think weights etc are only possible after the correct muscles are trained and engaged to the point they routinely activate. If you have the wrong muscles straining, compressing on nerves, weights and extra stress placed on the muscles will cause spasming and exacerbation of symptoms.

Agreed. In my case, the correct muscles could only be trained/activated after I unstuck them.

Something that works for me: I cut a nicotine patch in half and put it below my collar bone near the shoulder (part of it on the shoulder and part is on the pec). I have found that nicotine calms the nerves and relaxes the muscles in the area. I do the same thing on my wrists if I am having carpal tunnel probs.

Thanks Nuke nurse. Are there any stretches you would recommend?

I have good luck pinning and stretching areas under my armpit (more towards the back instead of the chest). I don't go in the armpit, but below it and around it. It gets the serratus muscles and the teres muscles. I find a spot and then pin the muscle down --- then raise my arm up and into a doorway stretch (can use various angles). Another good area is the pectoral muscle where it attaches to the sternum --- usually the first through 4th rib. Pin that area of the chest and raise the arm up and into a doorway stretch. The pec muscle at the sterno-clavicular area is another good one.

This is myofascial release therapy.