[chroma]

Sometimes a TOS patient is prescribed shoulder shrug exercises by a healthcare provider such as a PT, MD or DC.

This thread is a survey:

Have if you ever been prescribed shoulder shrugs for your TOS?
Was was the prescribed reps, sets, frequency and weight?
Did the shrugs help, hurt or neither?
Do you consider one or both of your shoulders to be droopy or depressed?

... Of course, the usual caveat of such a survey applies: this forum attracts the problem cases. People who recover well from TOS tend not to be here.

But I'm still curious.

[Nellyzen]

Yes, I used to do those, didn't help, actually gave me more pain.

After the rib resections my anatomy has changed, the collar bones sit differently and I can push my shoulders back with no pain, so my conclusion is dropped and slouchy shoulders are also caused by abnormal bones, it's just us being "lazy" and not wanting to sit up straight.

[Coop42]

I do a lot of shrugs but not with any weight, just freehand. I started out very slowly. Maybe just 3-4 reps and only 1 shoulder at a time at first. If you do too much at once it can cause some serious pain later in the day. I don't do them for strength, just for mobility, and over time, they've been really helpful. It's mostly intuition. I gave up on therapist's years ago.

[Daesin]

Chroma,
I have been ordered regular shoulder shrugs and extended shrugs...where you go up forward and then roll back. Initially it was 30 @ 3xday. I never felt like it made a positive difference at those numbers.

Now it is different. I agree with Coop...doing more than a few at a time will bite me later. I do 10 or so several times a day. I find it helps to relax my shoulder and resets my arm to a better position. I am learning that if it hurts I don't do it. Finding the right number is very personal and changes without warning. Some days I cant do one without an immediate negative response.

Only my left shoulder is involved but I do both sides anyhow. My left wants to drop forward. It hurts less in that position so I fight all day.
Hope this helps,
Daesin

[Hiker]

I was not prescribed shoulder shrugs, but I do them a few times a day (10-15 reps).
I started without weights and then increased to 5 lbs and now 12 lbs.
Honestly, don't know if they help. Don't seem to make things worse.

Rolling the shoulders back and forth makes my fingers numb so I don't do these.