Where did you get the DVD of exercises at? I have looked online but cannot find a Edgelow Protocol DVD.

I found no place to order it online.
You need to call Medical Dynamics at (800)945-0302.
I think they sell the DVD for $60. They also have a bunch of other stuff which you can get elsewhere (foam roll, exercise ball, pressure cuff, pinky-ball-on-a-stick etc).

I started this thread a year ago and it is time to draw some conclusions.
In the last few months I continued improving slowly, but steadily.
I have graduated from the Edgelow program to other exercises.
Most of my current exercises are based on Pilates, but I also do all kinds of stretches: neck, arms, pecs, hamstrings and so on as well as walking or running three times a day.
I continue working full time. Currently I work three days a week in the office and two days from home. Hopefully I'll be able to work in the office full time soon (remains to be seen).

I still have some aches and pains in the neck and traps (and some minor one and off back and knee pains), but nothing compared to how bad they were last year. I was seriously considering going on disability then as I could not work on the computer for more than a couple of minutes.
Today I worked on the computer for 8 hours (with small breaks) and am feeling OK.
I resumed doing most of my hobby activities. Though I have to limit reading and doing anything time-consuming on the comuter.

I think Edgelow's exercises were a very important first step in the recovery.
Nothing else I tried helped me get out of the cycle.

Like many of you, I have seen more than 20 doctors, therapists and chiropractors most of which were not helpful.
I never got a definitive diagnosis. Some suggested that I have nTOS, others dismissed that. I may never find it out, but hopefully I will continue getting better.

Hiker, can you post a rough timeline of the key exercises which you did and the daily schedule? Did you do the more "advanced" Edgelow exercises with the foam roller, triangular wedge etc? My issue is the breathing with spinal motion aggravates my lower back as its twisted up (in part due to the compensations that came with having a wry neck and TOS so long).

Also, i seem to lack focus in doing the belly breathing for more than a while as it seems to give little to no benefit.

Walking for long periods becomes an exercise in muscular tension for me. My different muscles at war with each other.

Its my pec minor which is a huge problem I think, did yours relax thanks to the breathing?

Also, Edgelows, hand to the chin exercise is very hard for me to grasp or do (I seem to apply either too much force or too little). I presume (from your past replies) that it was the breathing exercises that did you the most good.

I dont have the triangular wedge either. It was too big to get so i left it. In hindsight I think it was silly because it seems to teach proper rolling of the neck.

Here is a rough timeline.

Initially I could only do diaphragmatic breathing (with air pillow and without) and walking for 5-10 minutes so I started with that.
I gradually added other things. The very important rule is to never do any exercise that increases pain as this makes the injury worse.
Edgelow's idea which I found working for me is that diaphragmatic breathing relaxes the muscles and reduces pain. If it don't feel the reduction in pain
after 5-10 minutes then maybe it doesn't work for you. But if it does reduce the pain and if you do it all day every day, then you let the injury heal.
But you must not lie down all day. This is why walking is important.
I did the exercises as many times a day as I could. As I could not do anything else, finding free time wasn't an issue.
I also did relaxation exercises. Basically lying on my back in a dark room twice a day for 40 minutes or listening to relaxation music
and trying to relax all the muscles.

I also did do some chin tucks occasionally, but not every hour as per Edgelow. Also for the first few months I did longus colli strengthening.
But I suppose this was not a big issue for me so later I only did it occasionally and eventually dropped it.

In a couple of months I added rib mobilization with a pinkie ball on a stick. I am not sure these were very useful.
I walked at least 3 times every day and gradually increased time to 20-40 minutes per walk using pain level as a guide: if the shoulders start to hurt, I walked too far.

Month 4: I added ball exercises (diaphragmatic breathing on a ball). I only did these once a twice a day for a few minutes: these seemed less useful that breathing on the back.

Month 5: I added spine mobilization with a small foam roll. At first these were OK, but after a few weeks I started having numbness in my feet. As I found out later, I had L5 vertebrae fracture and herniated discs and mobilization was apparently aggravating the nerve roots.
I stopped doing the foam roll mobilizations, but still have some on and off feet numbness 6 months later. Getting better though.

Month 6: I was able to add big foamroll stretches. 5 minutes 3-4 times a day.
These are good as they stretch all the chest muscles. Could not do them before due to increased pain.

Month 8: Added doorframe pec minor stretches. Had to be careful with these as they cause hand numbness if I stretch too much.
These were quite painful initially so I only did them for 10-20 seconds a few times a day. Gradually increased to 60 seconds at a time multiple times per day.
Also did some ball exercises. Only did these once a day for 3-5 minutes. The more useful of this is the one where you lie with your back on the ball and
feet on the ground.

Month 10: added neck stretches on a foam roll. I don't have the wedges so I did not use them. These were also quite painful so I only went to the
point of pain, not past it (this is what the wedges are meant for). Gradually these became less painful and are almost pain free now.

At month 12 I was continuing diaphragmatic breathing, foamroll chest/neck stretches and some ball exercises as well as walking.
Later I replaced diaphragmatic breathing with abdominal crunches and added a bunch of other pilates-type exercises.

Thank You Hiker! all good info. I am finally going to buy the dvd and do the protocol for the new year even though I do many of the foam roller and ball exercises already. Also going to get a mini trampoline.

I too am back to work with a day of bad flare ups every other week or so-I don't work on the computer much though which definitely flares me up.

2 things that may have contributed to my being able to work-ozone shots and a chiro who understands TOS and did activator technique. i only saw him 5 times though because I got flared up after every session. Also TIME . I didn't work for almost 4 years.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Has the Egoscue helped?
I also have pain in hips and both shoulders too. It is very pricey to go to their facility.

Hiker, you are a gem. I am awed by your discipline and methodical way in which you did all this. The amount of willpower you have must be amazing. Were you an athlete perchance?

Did the L5 issue resolve, do you think it was worsening your neck pain and shoulder pain. Any exercises that helped there? I think I have a herniated disc on the left side thanks to a stupid mobilization by an arrogant PT who was into manual therapy. As a result, I have developed twisting in the lower back too.

Another thing, I learnt abdominal crunches are pretty bad for folks with kyphotic posture as they strengthen the rectus abdominis that basically pulls down on the rib cage and hunches one over. Another exercise most folks benefit from (supposedly) is the heel slide. Basically lie on your back, and making sure hips dont move, back is flat against the floor/ but by not pressing it - just shouldn't move or arch too much, keep moving one leg out heel against floor (sliding). While other leg is just braced (ie triangle shape). Then other foot. Basically gentle exercise for lower stomach muscles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jvUnWbBPXc

Hope it helps.

No, I am not an athletic kind.
The L5 issue is gradually improving. I suspect I had the disc/vertebra issue since childhood as I had episodes of lower back pain on and off for 30 years. I think both lower back and neck issues are connected to the poor posture, but probably are independent from each other. I tried different back exercises, but none had any obvious benefit. I learned by trial and error which exercises trigger the foot numbness and avoided doing these for a while. I am now able to do some of these again.

I am a bit concerned about abdominal crunches too. I make sure I always complement these with upper back strengthening to counteract any effect they may have on the posture. I am also doing various leg slides like you suggested (and also with one leg raised) though I find them too light of an exercise.

For upper back strengthening are you doing the arm raised on an exercise ball or rows? I see those as the most commonly recommended.

I suspect a lot of my issues are from kyphotic posture and weak neck muscles.