Do you guys find walking to be a good exercise?
I can walk for 10 minutes or so, but I am in pain a few hours later if I do more that that.

I hear ya! I thought I was the only one who had a lot of trouble walking. I didn't notice until someone pointed it out that I "carry" my affected arm, bearing the weight of it in the other arm and keeping my hand upright. I know I must look stupid, but don't care at all.

If the weight of your arms is the reason, many used to mention wearing jacket or sweater with well placed pockets, then keep arms in pockets while walking to keep some of the weight off the shoulder/neck muscles.

Yes, I am sure this is the weight of the arms as putting hands in pockets does relieve the pain.
But I think the idea of walking as exercise is that the arms move around...

True , but the legs pumping will move the blood flow through the whole body, even if the arms are supported in pockets.
If things improve then using the arms for short times can be done , but as soon a symptoms start, use the pockets again..

It's all about finding a balance of what you can tolerate vs what aggravates things for you..


During my worst years I bought a coat with many pockets to carry many of the main things i had in my purse, I just couldn't handle the purse on my shoulders at all. Used pockets & fanny pack , then later on found a soft sling/backpack style and still use it . If I get tired of carrying or on the shoulder I unzip the straps and wear it as back pack..

In my worst period pre surgery (bilateral TOS both neurovascular) I could not walk for more than 10 minutes without having immense pain in my arms, even when keeping the hands in the pocket. I ended up basically doing NOTHING at all anymore. After two surgeries (one in June 2013, one in Dec 2013) I can now walk again painfree. Although, standing or walking the whole day long is still too much and I still need to lay down at least once a day for a while.

because I have RSD in my hand, arm, etc etc, I can't put my hand in my pocket. hence the carrying it with my other arm. It all just really sucks.

I find that post surgery I always feel better the day following a good walk. Today I walked 3.5 miles.

Edgelow recommends a 20 minute walk 3-4 times a day.
I was doing this for a couple weeks now and it seems I can (barely) handle it.

He prescribes an aerobic walk starting with the pulse rate of 65% which is about 115 for my age. I was a runner before these problems started and I need to run, not walk, to get my pulse this high. Even if I walk very fast, it stays under 100.
I tried warming up by running a short distance to get my pulse to 115, but then I am not getting enough air using abdominal breathing (without engaging the scalenes).
Maybe this simply means years of running made my heart more efficient than average...

Did anyone have success with aerobic walking?

I started out 7 months ago walking a half mile a day, and I got increased nervy tingles in my arms from it. I persisted, and increased slowly. The last few weeks I've been logging up to 18 miles per week, and I walk with my arms bent in a power-walk, almost 4 miles per hour. I do get some increased nervy arm pain after a mile or so, especially if its colder outside. I googled walking and hand swelling and found it to be common, due to restricted circuation, so I open and close my fists alot while I walk and grab a frozen o.j. can when I get back home...but I still walk. I've found that if I push too much and walk too far I get more pain the next day, but if I'm inactive and skip walking a day or two I get increased pain. Balance is key with TOS.