The first rib mobilisation is in my experience somewhat useless. It is a symptom reducer but your scalenes will pull it right back up if they are weak and spasming. A lot of the self mobilisations also release the upper trap. You don't want this because it causes the trap to deactivate and further weaken. I had a lot of pain down the inside of my arm and it actually usually bothered my middle finger. Not sure why. I still get irritation and I'm not 100% by any means but I am improving. The first 2 weeks of raising the shoulders actually caused a lot more discomfort because the muscles are weak and unable to hold proper positioning. Now it is pretty natural but sometimes they still drop and I have to be aware of that.

I have overdone my work outs several times since I had my Skype appointment with Kjetil. It is really easy to overdo because you want to get better fast! However the body just does not work like that. Like I always say, it likely took you years/months to get here. It can take years/months to get you out. The key is knowing how to get out so you have a clear path to recovery.

Good luck

You have to approach all parts, spasms and or trigger points in the muscles as well as any stuck or raised top rib..
Just focusing on 1 part will not do much in the long term..

Other areas to look at -
pec minor
lymph drainage
overall body postures & uses..
past whiplash or old injuries
sleeping postures- pillows/mattresses
ergonomics

site search can find those topics for more on them..and more in the sticky threads..
https://www.neurotalk.org/search.php

Hi Dontbeamelvin,

And so, if i well understood you, you didn't experimented instant relief of your arm pain with elevating/shrugging your shoulder blade ?

How many days/weeks did it took roughly before your had relief of your arm's pain with this shoulder blade's constant elevation ?

I thank you again for your thoughts.

Best wishes for your recovery

Hi! Sorry for a late reply, have not been on the forum for a few weeks! To answer your question, I was told to do just one set of scalene excersises, on set of shrugs for traps, one for levator scapulas (spelling???), and a few other excersises to help muscles in shoulders that have been damaged/weakened by improper use of shoulder blades and depressed shoulders. I’m still struggling to keep shoulders up and neck long (out of cervival hinge), but hopefully with time that will become natural. Holding shoulders up helps with ulnar pain when I raise my arms out to the sides. I think getting better is going to just take a long time. My neurologist has “insisted” I take Lyrica for nerve pain, I’ve started taking it though I really don’t want to just cover up pain, I want to fix it. But I’m giving it a try. Hope you are doing better! Don’t overdo workouts, it’s so easy to do it because you think you will get better faster.
Good luck with your improvement. I’m on the train to my next appointment with Kjetil right now. We’ll see what that brings😂

You might want to search the site for lyrica experiences.. before you get too far into it.. If you haven't web searched it yet.. some have issues with it..

Hi there. Yeah I mean I'm not 100% by any means but some days I make it through the day and I realize it was a really good day. My range of motion has greatly improved. I've been doing his protocol for probably 2 months or so. Maybe 3

I have TOS and my shoulder quite often falls forward and compresses the nerves in the neck. However in my case the TOS is causing this and not the other way around.

I was diagnosed with the exact thing that you mention here (muscle imbalance in the shoulder girdle causing TOS). And I was given exercises to do. Intense, hourly exercises every day.

Well I continued that for 18 months and my condition got worse so I got a second opinion. After some scalene block tests (us guided injection), I was told that the exercises were totally pointless because the only thing that would fix my TOS is surgery.

Through overuse, muscles had grown abnormally and were compressing the nerves and arteries in the Thoracic outlet region.

The shoulder falls because the scapula (shoulder blade area) is not getting enough blood so it weakens and is often painful with pins and needles. Like I said, in my case the TOS is causing this.

If you are reading this please do not just simply do exercises hoping your TOS will go away. In some cases it might but the clock is ticking and the longer the nerves are being compressed, the more likely it is that they will become damaged permanently.

Ask your doctor for a scalene block test. Even if you have to pay for it yourself. It's worth it.

According to How to truly identify and treat thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) - Treningogrehab.no

It is the scalenes that are incredibly weak and that is why they are "overused". He recommends strengthening the scalenes. We're you doing any scalenes exercises/neck or just strengthening your shoulder?

Did you have surgery and how did it go?